Chase DeLauter is not overthinking any of this.
The rookie outfielder was in the middle of Saturday’s offensive outburst against the Athletics, homering early to help erase a first-inning deficit as Cleveland rolled to a 12-6 win. The victory kept the Guardians in first place in the AL Central, sitting at 80-75 with a one-game lead over the White Sox at 79-76 with just seven games remaining. For DeLauter, moments like Saturday boil down to something simple.
DeLauter summed up his mindset without overcomplicating it, saying, “This is what we play all year for.”
“It’s just fun baseball, right? This is what we play all year for. That’s what baseball’s all about. We come out, give up a couple early, but we can watch the last couple days and see we don’t feel like we’re out of any game. So it was nice to come out there and put up runs, and we kept the bats going. We can’t control the scores of the other game and who’s playing, who’s pitching, who’s hitting for those guys. The only thing we can do is come here, get prepared, and be ready at 6 or 7 o’clock,” DeLauter said.
"It's just fun baseball, right? This is what we play all year for."#Guardians Chase DeLauter on tonights win and Cleveland continued push for the AL Central#GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/CBGnuuBBjW
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) September 20, 2026
He expanded on that idea afterward, pointing out that this Cleveland team has made a habit of shaking off slow starts without ever feeling out of a game. Saturday fit that pattern perfectly, with the Guardians falling behind early before answering with run after run and never letting the Athletics back into it. DeLauter said it was rewarding to see the offense put together an outing like that, one where the bats stayed hot from the first inning through the last.
He also touched on something that has become a theme for this club down the stretch: the reality that Cleveland cannot control what happens in other AL Central games. With the division race still coming down to the final week, DeLauter said the only approach that makes sense is showing up, getting ready and letting the results in Chicago and Detroit take care of themselves.
That kind of mentality has helped define this Guardians roster all season. Cleveland has leaned on a mix of steady veterans and increasingly confident rookies like DeLauter, and neither group has shown much concern about the noise surrounding the standings. With the White Sox still breathing down their necks and the tiebreaker working against them, Cleveland cannot afford to look past a single game the rest of the way.
DeLauter and the Guardians do not appear worried about that pressure. If Saturday was any indication, they plan to keep playing exactly the same way they have all season, showing up, getting prepared and letting the games sort themselves out.
NEXT: Guardians Rookie Leads Team In Key Offensive Category
