Chase DeLauter Hits Game-Winner as Guardians Triumph in Extras
SEATTLE — Chase DeLauter continued his impressive start by homering for the third consecutive game, a two-run blast in the 10th inning, leading the Cleveland Guardians to a 6-5 victory against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.
The Guardians took the lead in the 10th after a crucial throwing error by Mariners’ third baseman Brendon Donovan on a bunt by Steven Kwan. This allowed Brayan Rocchio, who began the inning on second base, to score.
DeLauter then seized the moment, hitting a fastball from Andres Munoz (0-1) over the left-field wall for his fourth homer of the season.
Remarkably, DeLauter has become the second player in MLB history to hit four homers in the first three games of his career, following Trevor Story’s achievement in 2016. He joins Story and Kyle Lewis (2019) as the only players to hit a homer in each of their first three regular-season games.
The game intensified as the Mariners forced extra innings when Julio Rodriguez, breaking out of a season-opening slump, delivered a two-strike, two-out single in the bottom of the ninth. This hit scored Cole Young, who had doubled earlier.
Earlier, the Guardians had tied things up at 2-2 in the seventh inning when both Nos. 8 and 9 batters, CJ Kayfus and Rocchio, walked, setting the stage for Kwan to drive in the go-ahead run with a well-placed single.
The Mariners initially took the lead with two runs in the second inning, with Randy Arozarena scoring on a double from Victor Robles. They extended their lead in the fourth through a wild pitch, but the Guardians responded effectively to secure the win.
