CLEVELAND (Interstat) — On a historic, unseasonably warm evening at Progressive Field, the Cleveland Guardians rode the powerful bat of rookie Chase DeLauter to a decisive 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in their home opener on Friday night.

A sellout crowd of 37,360, the largest for a Cleveland opener in over a decade, witnessed the Guardians win their home opener for the third consecutive season. The temperature at first pitch was 70 degrees, the warmest for a Guardians March or April home opener since 1992.

The game was a tense, pitching-dominated affair until the seventh inning, when the Guardians’ offense erupted. With the score tied 1-1, shortstop Gabriel Arias led off the frame by driving a solo home run to right field off Cubs reliever Hunter Harvey, giving Cleveland its first lead. After a groundout and a walk to Steven Kwan, DeLauter stepped in. The highly-touted designated hitter crushed a 1-0 offering from Harvey deep to right field for a two-run homer, his fifth of the young season, to break the game open.

DeLauter was the offensive catalyst all afternoon, finishing 3 for 4 with a homer, a single, a run scored and three RBIs. His fifth-inning single off Cubs starter Colin Rea had previously driven in Daniel Schneemann to tie the game, though a strong relay from left fielder Ian Happ cut down Gabriel Arias at the plate to limit the damage.

The Cubs struck first in the third inning against Guardians starter Joey Cantillo. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a pop-up double that fell between three defenders in shallow left, and catcher Miguel Amaya followed with an RBI double down the left-field line. That would be the extent of Chicago’s scoring, as they managed just five hits total and went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position, stranding five.

Cantillo, named the top star for Cleveland, delivered a sterling performance to keep his team in the game. The left-hander worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six and walking one. He efficiently navigated the Cubs’ lineup, inducing weak contact and working out of a minor jam in the sixth before handing the ball to the bullpen.

The Guardians’ relief corps was flawless. Connor Brogdon, Matt Festa, Shawn Armstrong and Cade Smith combined for 3 2/3 perfect innings of relief, striking out four. Brogdon earned the win, improving to 2-0, by pitching a clean seventh inning. Smith, who entered in the ninth, struck out the side around a two-out single to secure his second save of the year.

For the Cubs, Rea provided a solid start, yielding one run on four hits over 3 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. The bullpen trio of Hoby Milner and Jacob Webb kept the game tied into the seventh before Harvey faltered. Harvey took the loss, falling to 0-1, after surrendering three runs on three hits in his one inning of work.

Chicago’s defense was sharp early, turning two double plays, but a critical error by Crow-Armstrong in center field after DeLauter’s seventh-inning homer allowed José Ramírez to reach second, though it did not lead to further scoring.

The victory improved Cleveland’s record to 5-3 as they continue a strong opening stretch against National League opponents. The Cubs, who arrived having taken two of three from the Los Angeles Angels, fell to 3-4 with the loss.

The two teams will continue their three-game interleague series on Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field. The Cubs will look to even the set before heading to Tampa Bay for a three-game series starting Monday. The Guardians will host the Kansas City Royals for three games beginning Monday after concluding their series with Chicago on Sunday.