Chase DeLauter rakes fifth home run in seventh career regular-season game as Guardians top Cubs in home opener
DeLauter earned the first AL Player of the Week award of the season, and now he's quickly bounced back from a left foot contusion.
Cleveland Guardians' Chase DeLauter celebrates a seventh-inning home run with Steven Kwan during a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Cleveland on April 3. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) ASSOCIATED PRESS When Cleveland Guardians rookie right fielder Chase DeLauter fouled a Shohei Ohtani pitch off his back foot on Tuesday night, it looked like the 24-year-old himself might be the only one who could actually put a stop to his season-opening power surge. After grounding out later in that at-bat, DeLauter left the game with a left foot contusion, and he didn’t play in the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers the following day, although manager Stephen Vogt said DeLauter was supposed to be off regardless.
With negative X-rays, DeLauter was confident he’d return to the lineup for the Guardians’ home opener on Friday. He was back, and the same could be said for his seismic swing, which delivered another home run in a 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. Most home runs in first 7 career regular-season games, since at least 1900: 2016 Trevor Story: 7 2026 Chase DeLauter: 5 2024 Rece Hinds: 5 1999 Mark Quinn: 5 https://t.
co/x1fOtXkvCA — Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 3, 2026 DeLauter has now hit five home runs over his first seven career regular-season games, tied for the second most in such a span since at least 1900, according to MLB researcher and reporter Sarah Langs . The only player with more in that data set is Trevor Story, who scattered seven homers across the first seven games of his rookie season with the Colorado Rockies. This story is being updated.