Josh Naylor caught the attention of many with his exuberant home run celebration off of Gerrit Cole Sunday night in which he appeared to be rocking a baby.
Per MLB.com reporter Mandy Bell, when Naylor hits a home run off pitchers, he calls them his son — which is why he was rocking his arms back and forth like he was carrying a baby.
The celebration, which came in the fourth inning with the Guardians still trailing by a run, did not seem to bother the Yankees or Cole, who did not allow a run the rest of the game as he pitched the Bombers to victory to force a Game 5.
“Yeah, whatever. It’s cute,” Cole said of Naylor’s celebration. “I didn’t see it in the moment. It wouldn’t have bothered me in the moment and it just is kind of funny.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone also dismissed it.
“We can’t get caught up in that,” Boone said. “We’re trying to win.”
And indeed they did. Cole struck out eight over seven innings, limiting the damage to two runs and picking up his second win over the Guardians this series as they head back to the Bronx for a winner-take-all Game 5.
In fact, Cole proved to be the $324 million ace many fans were hoping to show up, especially after his implosion in the AL Wild Card game last year.
“This is a dream,” Cole said of having these moments as a Yankee. “It’s hard for me to put into words; I don’t really want to reminisce on it either because this series certainly isn’t over and we have bigger goals, but I’m definitely having the time of my life and I love it and I can’t wait to keep going.”
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram