Naylor makes history in wild win
More than 20,000 players have appeared in Major League Baseball games in the sport's history. No player ever had a game like the one Guardians' Josh Naylor enjoyed in Monday wild comeback win over the Chicago White Sox.
With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Naylor hit a score-tying grand slam.
The White Sox went on to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Adam Engel ripped a ball down the third-base line. Jose Ramirez snagged it with a full-out, diving stop and fired to first. Naylor, fully outstretched with his foot still on the base, picked the throw off the dirt to extend the game into extra innings.
Two innings later, it was — who else? — Naylor, who came to the plate with two runners on base and drilled a threerun home run in the top of the 11th that put the Guardians on top 12-9, the eventual final score. Two home runs, seven RBIS and a highlight-reel play at first base, all after the Guardians were down to their last out in the top of the ninth inning.
Naylor became the first player in MLB history with two three-plus-run home runs in the ninth inning or later in the same game, according to STATS. And combined with an Rbi-double in the 8th inning, Naylor became the first player with at least eight RBI from the eighth inning on since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920, according to mlb.com.
It was the emphatic exclamation point in Naylor's extensive rehab and long road back from the gruesome ankle injury that left him with an uncertain future. Last June, it was unclear if Naylor would be able to return for this season's opening day. In fact, it was unclear for months if Naylor would be ready by June 1 or even July 1.
He made it back to the field about a week after opening day. He's been one of the better hitters in the American League, now sporting a .338 average and .944 OPS. A season ago, Naylor drove in 21 runs in 69 games prior to the injury that ended his season. This year, he has already driven in 21 runs but has needed only 19 games to do it.
“We all see some days, it's a little harder for him to move around a little bit, and that's understandable,” manager Terry Francona said. “But he looks really good in the batter's box. And you can tell when things happen, how much it means. He's really emotional, but I get it. He missed playing baseball and he missed playing with his teammates, and it means a lot to him.”