Chase DeLauter makes inauspicious Guardians debut, but it gets better

CLEVELAND — Chaser DeLauter's major league debut couldn't have been in a more pressurized situation. The Guardians' 2022 first-round pick from James Madison University started in center field in Cleveland's 6-1 victory Wednesday over the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of their American League Wild Card Series. The teams will play in a winner-take-all Game 3 today. Detroit's second batter, Gleyber Torres, hit a high fly ball to center that DeLauter dropped. "When the ball hit the ground, I was in shambles," DeLauter said. "I played the sun wrong. Unfortunately, I didn't come up with it." When DeLauter came to the dugout, starting pitcher Tanner Bibee consoled him. "He was battling the sun and the wind," Bibee said. "He dropped it. It was a hard play. I told him, 'I'm going to have your back and you'll have mine.'" DeLauter settled down as the game went on. After catching a fly ball in the second inning, he gave the crowd a thumb's up. He made his most impactful play in the fourth inning, when his throw nailed Zach McKinstry trying to advance to third for the final out. Detroit seemed to have taken a 2-1 lead on Javier Baez's single, but the second run was wiped off when Jose Ramirez's tag happened before Dillon Dingler crossed the plate. The score remained 1-1. "Chase got here 48 hours ago," Bibee said. "He helped us win the game." DeLauter, 23, said he thought the throw was a momentum shift. "I thought the throw beat him," he said. "I thought it might be overturned (after seeing the replay). It was a real cool feeling. I felt like I was impacting the game." The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder walked in his first at-bat, grounded out in his second and lined out to center field in his third."Of course, I wanted a hit," DeLauter said. "I was able to get on that 97-mph heater. That instilled the swagger back in my swing." The 26,669 fans embraced the rookie when his name was announced. "That's such an unreal feeling," he said. DeLauter's entire family made the five-hour drive from their home in West Virginia. The Guardians played John Denver's "Country Road" when he entered the batter's box, the same as when he played for Triple-A Columbus. "I'm extremely grateful for it," DeLauter said. "It was nice to play in a meaningful game." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com.