Chase DeLauter has been one of the most dependable bats in the Cleveland Guardians’ lineup all October, and his production has now put him in the franchise record book. The rookie collected another hit in Sunday’s Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and that gave him eleven hits this postseason. That total matches the most ever by a rookie in a single postseason in Cleveland history. The Guardians lost the game 3-1 and now trail the best of seven series three games to two, but DeLauter has given them plenty of reasons to believe in the young core of this roster.
MLB’s Sarah Langs shared that DeLauter has now joined Brayan Rocchio for the most postseason hits by a rookie in Cleveland history.
“Most hits in single postseason, rookies in Cleveland history: 2026 Chase DeLauter: 11,” Langs posted.
Most hits in single postseason, rookies in Cleveland history:
2026 Chase DeLauter: 11
2024 Brayan Rocchio: 11
2007 Asdrubal Cabrera: 10— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2026
He has been consistent from the very beginning of this postseason. DeLauter collected two hits in Game 2 of the division series against the White Sox and added hits in each of the final three games of that series, including an RBI in the Game 3 elimination win. He has been even better in the ALCS. In Game 1, he went 3-4 with a first-pitch home run off Drew Rasmussen and a double that set up Cleveland’s go-ahead rally. In Game 2, he reached base three times and lined an RBI double at 104.5 mph off left-hander Ian Seymour.
DeLauter also gave Cleveland an early lead in Game 4 with an RBI single that ended Nick Martinez’s scoreless streak against the Guardians, and he drove in Steven Kwan with a groundout for Cleveland’s only run in Game 5. He did have a costly moment in the field on Saturday, when a ball got under his glove in right field during the Rays’ three-run seventh inning, but his bat has been a constant.
That kind of production is exactly what the Guardians saw from him during the regular season. DeLauter hit .287 with a .363 on-base percentage, sixteen home runs, 30 doubles and 67 RBIs, and his 131 OPS+ was the best on the team.
It has been a remarkable journey for the former first-round pick out of James Madison. DeLauter made his big league debut during last year’s Wild Card Series, and one year later he is already one of the most productive postseason rookies in franchise history.
Now the Guardians need him more than ever. Game 6 is set for Monday at Tropicana Field, and Cleveland must win to force a Game 7 on Tuesday. DeLauter needs just one more hit to stand alone in the record books. If it comes in a big moment, it could help keep the Guardians’ season alive.
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