Josh Naylor : home run celebration | rocking the baby

A batter, Josh naylor hitting a home run, and then celebrating as he rounds the bases by pretending to rock a baby and telling the pitcher.

Josh Naylor : home run celebration | rocking the baby

Joshua-Douglas James Naylor is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He previously played for the San Diego Padres. Naylor was the 12th overall selection in the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut for the Padres in 2019. He was traded to Cleveland during the 2020 season.

Throughout his amateur career, he played for the Ontario Blue Jays of the Premier Baseball League of Ontario (PBLO). This elite travel baseball team regularly competed in tournaments across North America, and was composed of the top young players in all of Ontario.

Josh Naylor home run celebration 

Not only does Josh Naylor continue to deliver for the Guardians in their American League Division Series battle against the Yankees, he’s providing nurturing support for the offense he delivers.

In the fourth inning of Cleveland’s 4-2 loss in Game 4 that evened the series at two games each, Naylor slugged a solo homer off Gerrit Cole, then provided a memorable celebration by “rocking the baby” as he rounded third base.

https://youtu.be/2AHgaEa-bPg

At first glance, the rocking motion Naylor made with his arms looked like it could be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Guardians’ oft-referenced age as the youngest team in this postseason. But it was apparently something different.

“Nayls, when he hits homers off people, he calls them his son,” teammate Triston McKenzie explained to MLB.com’s Mandy Bell earlier this month. “Hence the rocking the baby as he runs around the bases.”

There was nothing sleepy about the home run, a 110.3 mph drive that traveled 405 feet on a line to right-center. The swing was the third hardest of Naylor’s career, and it punished a 97 mph fastball from Cole, who has allowed a home run in each of his last eight postseason appearances, tying Yu Darvish for the longest streak in postseason history. Darvish’s streak is also active as he and the Padres prepare for the National League Championship Series beginning Tuesday.

Josh naylor Rocking the baby 

The New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians matchup in the ALDS of the 2022 MLB Playoffs has been more dramatic and more exciting than anyone could have realistically hoped for.

The Yankees were the best team in baseball for the first half of the season, and still ended the year with 99 wins after an uneven second half.

The Guardians won the fewest games of any division winner in baseball (92 wins), and were certainly at a big disadvantage when it came to both power bats and power arms in the series.

The Guardians won Game 3 with an incredible ninth inning comeback on Saturday to take a 2-1 series lead. After the Yankees jumped out to an early lead in a do-or-die Game 4, Cleveland slugger Josh Naylor did his best to show that the Guardians weren’t about to back down.

After taking Yankees ace Gerrit Cole deep, Naylor called the pitcher his ‘son’ and did a ‘rock the baby’ celebration as he rounded the bases. 

Baseball needs more big personalities. An underdog like Naylor taunting a highly-paid superstar like Cole just seems like a good thing for the game. Everyone loves beef. You need to have the sense of humor of an NFL referee to not appreciate some creative taunting.

Of course, the discourse around baseball always seems to revolve around unwritten rules and respect. Some analysts found Naylor’s celebration to be bush league move meant to show up his opponent. You can always count on the MLB media for a stodgy take like this.