SEATTLE — The helmet is silver, with a gold crown wrapped around the top, and only one Cleveland Guardians hitter has donned it through the club’s first three games.
His name is Chase DeLauter and he continues to bewilder his teammates, his opposition, his fan base and anyone who has watched baseball but has never witnessed something like this.
DeLauter is the second player in major-league history with four home runs in his first three career games, joining Trevor Story in 2016. Each time he completes his trot around the bases, he returns to the dugout, where Austin Hedges sticks that silver armor atop his slicked-back hair.
DeLauter’s latest feat might have been his most mind-bending one yet. He muscled a 10th-inning homer over the left-field fence at T-Mobile Park on another chilly, breezy night, an opposite-field shot on a 97-mph fastball both above and outside of the strike zone, tossed by one of the game’s preeminent closers. As one Guardians hitter surmised, Andrés Muñoz probably placed the pitch precisely where he wanted it.
“That’s stupid,” said Steven Kwan, who scored on the homer, which proved pivotal in a 6-5 win. “That is really stupid how he’s able to do that.”
CHASE DELAUTER DID IT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/JSdl4iixV9
— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2026
DeLauter had finally appeared mortal, with three strikeouts in four fruitless at-bats prior to the homer. But a valiant knight can only be stifled for so long.
“That just shows you how good he is,” said pitcher Joey Cantillo. “What are we calling him, The Martian? He’s a special player. We’ve seen him do stuff like that, and now the world is going to get to see it.”
So far, the world has seen plenty of DeLauter — and only DeLauter — in the Guardians’ new home run helmet.
A mid-spring team bonding trip to the royal court sparked an identity shift for the 2026 season. Don’t be befogged by what you may see on your TV screen: Ye olde ballclub is leaning into the medieval gimmick.
It started with a visit earlier this month to Medieval Times in Scottsdale, Ariz., where a contingent of Guardians players enjoyed a feast and watched a bunch of jousting and battling betwixt some knights and squires. The Guardians dressed like knights themselves, except for Kwan and Ben Lively, who went as wizards, with long, gray beards.
“Kwan killed it with the wizard outfit,” said Hedges, who arranged the outing.
Before they exited the castle, they snapped a couple of team photos, which sat in frames in the middle of their spring training manor. Tanner Bibee stopped in the gift shop and purchased the silver helmet.
Whenceforth a player hits a home run, the noble paladin dons the new helmet atop his head as he forges through a sea of teammates in the dugout. DeLauter was the first (and second and third and fourth) royal subject to wear the piece.
“He’s got a good look on it,” Kwan said, “so maybe we just keep it like that right now.”
Chase DeLauter has become well-acquainted with the Guardians’ home run celebration helmet. (Zack Meisel / The Athletic)
It’s not a turkey leg and a swig of mead, but it’s the next best thing for a celebration of this ilk.
There’s more than the helmet, too.
Kyle Manzardo bought a sword. Yeah, an actual sword. It rests in a long, black case beside Hedges’ locker.
After a win, Hedges unveils the sword and chivalrously knights the player of the game. DeLauter was the chosen one Thursday after his historic effort in his first career regular-season game, and again Saturday after his latest heroics. Hedges admitted he’s still workshopping his role as leader of ceremonies; he prefers not to bestow the honor on the player in an accent from a past millennium, but he needs a way to rile up his teammates in a medieval manner. He says there will be plenty of future wins for him to fine-tune his approach.
“I still have to figure out how to deliver it properly,” he said, adding that he is “trying to figure out how to make it cool.”
Until this season, the Guardians have resisted joining in on the growing trend of dugout home run celebrations. The Mariners, for instance, present a hitter with a trident to carry through the dugout after he completes a home-run trot. The Pittsburgh Pirates recently unveiled a welder’s mask as their go-to prop. In the World Baseball Classic, Team Italy celebrated home runs with shots of espresso.
The Guardians did present a championship wrestling belt to the MVP of each win in 2024 and ’25. Pitcher Tyler Beede purchased the belt for $550 at the start of the ’24 season, though he spent the majority of the season in the minors. Hedges would honor the winner after games like a wrestling ring announcer.
It’s all medieval now. Veteran reliever Shawn Armstrong said they’ll eventually have some T-shirts, designed by him and Hedges, to commemorate the theme as well. The belt has been retired.
“That was (2024’s) identity, last year’s identity,” Hedges said. “The last two years, (we) won the division, which was great. We have higher expectations. So there’s certain things we have to mix up and change. We’re trying to be more offensive and win the damn World Series.”
It’ll help if the new helmet gets a lot of use. The Guardians ranked 28th out of the league’s 30 teams in home runs over the last four seasons. In 2025, the team ranked 29th in slugging percentage.
Hedges said the new wrinkles are intended to reward a team that expects to be vastly improved at the plate.
“We can all look ourselves in the mirror and realize last year was not good enough offensively,” he said.
DeLauter, who estimates he’s up to about 900 unread texts during this whirlwind first week, certainly has the Guardians thinking things will be different in 2026. They tried 10 different hitters in the No. 2 spot in the batting order last year. DeLauter might solve that puzzle. He continues to downplay his accomplishments — “Just trying to get good swings on the ball,” he said — but the numbers and the fun facts speak volumes.
Twenty-four teams have totaled three or fewer home runs so far this season. DeLauter’s teammates have yet to hit one.
He has four.
“It’s as talented as you can be,” Kwan said.
