DeLauter sends 'em all home with go-ahead triple to help Guards top Astros

CLEVELAND -- Chase DeLauter got off to a historic start to his rookie season, mashing a flurry of home runs out of the gates this year. But as many players have encountered before him, the league inevitably made some adjustments to the Guardians’ outfielder.

“The game moves fast. That's part of it, right?” DeLauter said. “You get off to a hot start. Teams want to figure out how to shut that down. I think the big thing is not falling into those adjustments and wondering why it's happening and what's gone wrong.

“It's not something I've been excelling at the last week or so, but something I'm working on.”

DeLauter’s results may have hit a bit of a lull recently, but his process has remained solid. He delivered on both fronts Tuesday, when he hit a bases-clearing triple in the eighth inning that sent the Guardians to an 8-5 win over the Astros at Progressive Field.

DeLauter got a 2-2 four-seam fastball over the middle of the plate from Houston’s Bryan King. He sliced it down the left-field line, in front of and past a sliding Brice Matthews. The ball got all the way to the outfield wall, allowing each of Angel Martínez, Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan to score.

Rocchio, meanwhile, extended his career-high hitting streak to eight games with his base hit, before Kwan’s walk set the table for DeLauter.

“It's no secret he hasn't gotten results, but this kid's a good hitter,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He stepped up in a huge way. Backing up a fastball in a two-strike count to protect for the slider and has the ability to just shoot it down the line. It's what good hitters do. Good hitters use the whole field. Cool moment for him.”

The Guardians trailed, 4-3, when DeLauter stepped to the plate in the eighth. DeLauter personally was riding an 0-for-12, which dated to his final at-bat on Friday against the Orioles. It was part of a larger stretch in which his results dipped following his hot start to the season.

Over his first seven games, DeLauter went 9-for-26 (.346) with five home runs and eight RBIs, with one walk and seven strikeouts. His average exit velocity was 95.6 mph. Over his next 14 games entering Tuesday, DeLauter went 7-for-47 (.149) with zero home runs, five doubles and four RBIs. His average exit velocity was 88.9 mph over that stretch.

But here’s the thing: DeLauter has still had quality plate appearances recently. Over those 14 games, he drew 10 walks with just four strikeouts.

DeLauter acknowledged it’s tough to go through a down stretch as a rookie, especially coming up in bigger spots and putting pressure on himself to deliver. He noted he’s leaned upon his teammates while maintaining confidence when he steps to the plate.

“I think Chase is right where he needs to be,” Vogt said pregame. “He's getting pitched tough. … But every hitter goes through a little bit of a lull in hits. It's how you handle it and how you come out on the other side, and Chase is very confident. We have all the confidence in him as well.”

We saw why in the eighth. King doesn’t walk many guys; his 4.0 percent walk rate in 2025 ranked in the top 1 percent of MLB. DeLauter knew he had to be ready to hit and was looking for a fastball.

King fell behind 2-0, then threw DeLauter three straight four-seamers. He fouled off the first two, but took what King gave him on the third heater to deliver. The moment was extra sweet after a moment earlier in the game.

Cleveland led, 2-0, in the fourth and had runners on first and second with one out. DeLauter got a 3-0 fastball from lefty Colton Gordon on the inner half of the plate. He popped it up to shortstop Carlos Correa.

The Progressive Field faithful has recently taken to remixing DeLauter’s walk-up song (John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”). In place of the song’s normal lyrics, they serenade the 24-year-old by asking him to hit a home run.

Country Roads, take me home

To the place I belong

Chase DeLauter, hit a homer

Take me home

DeLauter delivered the next-best thing on Tuesday.

“I can hear it -- especially later on in the game when there's a lot of energy going on and stuff like that,” DeLauter said. “I'm not going to say I can ignore it. I definitely hear it, but I think it's great. I would love for that to be a thing for a long time.”