Josh Naylor provides Mariners fans with playoff game reminiscent of Guardians heroics

At this point, what can’t Josh Naylor do for the Mariners? He’s stolen signs. He’s helped carry Seattle’s offense in the longest winner-take-all game in major league history. 

And, on Monday, he added his first postseason home run that didn’t come in a Guardians uniform in the form of a two-run run blast in Seattle’s 10-3 win over the Blue Jays in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. 

Naylor’s success has also come in a similar fashion to his time with the Guardians, as Mariners hitters have hit just .217 this postseason — a symptom of Seattle only recording eight hits across 15 innings in their win over the Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS. 

But they erased those demons on Monday with a 10 hit performance against Seattle led by a 3-for-4 performance from Josh Naylor highlighted by his two-run home run. 

Josh Naylor continues to have hot postseason in his first season since being traded from Guardians 

Naylor’s homer came on a classic “Josh Naylor” swing, as he pulled off an inside out swing on a Braydon Fisher slider that caught too much of the plate. Naylor’s homer, which traveled 359 feet and ended up in the right field seats at Rogers Centre, served as the final gut punch in Seattle’s big win. 

He also added a fantastic play at first base to rob George Springer of a hit and stole second base. Naylor may not be the perfect player, but this postseason has shown all the ways that he can impact winning for a major league team. 

With the win, the Mariners are now only two wins away from reaching the World Series for the first time in franchise history, which is a drought that Guardians fans should have some empathy for considering the Guardians' championship drought.

And for a while it looked like Naylor would be the one to help end that drought. He hit .274 with 75 home runs across 486 games for the Guardians, and added on two postseason home runs across 78 at-bats. He was everything they needed in the middle of the order.

But now he’s everything Seattle needs in the middle of its order — which could end up being his long-term home. Though he’s set to be a free agent after the season, he’s spoken highly of Seattle since he was traded there at the deadline. 

“I love playing there. It’s been super awesome,” Naylor said, per the Seattle Time’s Adam Jude. “I’ve gotten so many compliments from friends who have watched me play or ex-teammates I’ve played with or even just opponents who I’m playing against, like, how awesome it is in Seattle and how cool the fan base is and how they just ride-or-die Seattle, and it’s super awesome to be a part of.”

Now Naylor will get a chance to add another signature moment to his Mariners ledger in Game 3 against his former Guardians teammate in Shane Bieber. It’s a game that should be appointment viewing in Northeast Ohio.