The 2026 MLB season is officially underway, and the Cleveland Guardians kicked off the new year with a 6-4 Opening Day victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Headlined by Chase DeLauter’s memorable (regular season) debut, here were three takeaways from Cleveland’s latest victory. 

It took longer than probably everyone would have liked, but almost four years after he was drafted, Chase DeLauter had finally arrived, and he already looks like a star. The 24-year-old may have been sandwiched in a lineup between two All-Stars in Steven Kwan and Chase DeLauter, but the moment wasn’t too big for him.

In DeLauter’s first regular-season at-bat, he made franchise history, slugging a home run over the right field wall for the first home run of the rookie’s big-league career. Then, DeLauter signaled and scored from first base in the seventh inning on a Jose Ramirez double.

To wrap up and put a bow on DeLauter’s first regular-season game, the rookie went deep for the second time in the top of the ninth inning to give the Guardians a much-needed insurance run. 

The Guardians still have to manage their expectations with DeLauter, but after everything they’ve seen from him as a rookie now in his first regular-season game, it’s hard not to say he’s a star in the making.

Anytime a team hits four home run in a game, they give themselves a pretty good chance to win, but Cleveland survived Seattle’s long-ball attack. 

The Mariners ended up with four home runs, but they were all solo shots. Tanner Bibee gave up three in five innings before he exited the game with right shoulder inflammation, and Shawn Armstrong allowed one in the seventh inning.

Outside of those four homers, Cleveland’s pitching staff only allowed four other base runners. Keeping the bases clean can limit the damage when inevitable mistakes happen, and that was apparent on Opening Day. 

Rhys Hoskins wasn’t signed with a team at the beginning of Spring Training. With that, he had to settle on a Minor League deal with Cleveland. 

There are probably many teams wishing they had pursued the veteran slugger more after his Opening Day performance. In Hoskins’ Guardians debut, he ended up with three hits and a walk. Even at 32 years old, Hoskins’ 112.3 mph single in the second inning was the hardest hit ball of his career. 

It’s safe to say Cleveland found its right-handed hitting power bat.

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