4 Takeaways From the Guardians Home Opener Victory
The Cleveland Guardians take down the Chicago Cubs, 4-1, in their home opener behind another Chase DeLauter home run.
CLEVELAND – For the first time in 2026, baseball was back at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, as the Cleveland Guardians hosted the Chicago Cubs for their Home Opener. What started off as a slow game officially for both teams ended with a 4-1 Guardians win. Here are four takeaways from Cleveland’s first home game of the new season.
Joey Cantillo’s Dominant Changeup When Joey Cantillo has his changeup on point, he has the potential to be an elite pitcher. Thankfully for the Guardians, their starter had one of his best pitches working on Friday, and the Cubs had no answers for it. Of the 82 pitches Cantillo threw, 23 of them were the changeup, and that pitch alone is what did the most damage against Chicago.
The left-hander generated six whiffs and only allowed one hit on the pitch. Combine that with his 91 mph fastball, and the Cubs had no answers for Cantillo’s pitch mix on Friday. By the time Cantillo’s start was over, he pitched 5.
1 innings, gave up four hits, issued two walks, and struck out six batters. The only run Cleveland’s starter allowed was after a bloop double from Pete Crow-Armstrong that landed between Jose Ramirez and Gabriel Arias after miscommunication. The Guardians should certainly be pleased with Cantillo’s outing in their first home game of the year.