Bo Naylor's clutch three-run home run propels Guardians over Giants

It was an uphill battle for most of the day on Sunday afternoon as the Cleveland Guardians were looking to secure a series win over the San Francisco Giants. Cleveland found themselves down early, simultaneously failing to record a hit until the 4th inning while spotting San Francisco a three-run lead. While the Guardians were able to fight back to within one run, it was a series of events taking place in the 6th inning that changed the game entirely.

Coming up to bat with two outs in the inning and runners on first and second to pinch hit was Bo Naylor. Naylor found himself down 0-2 after two pitches, making things look fairly bleak in terms of the run-scoring department. Luckily, Naylor was able to foul off the next two pitches before taking the next two for balls, evening the count at 2-2. It was a 94 MPH sinker from Sean Hjelle that was in on the hands that Naylor was able to get his hands through the zone quickly and promptly deliver it over the fence in right field for a three-run shot that gave Cleveland a 5-3 lead.

This clutch pinch-hit two-out and two-strike homer from Naylor was exactly what the Guardians needed. Cleveland was scratching their way back from their early deficit, but it truly felt like they were going to need someone to come through with a big blast, and that person turned out to be the younger Naylor brother hitting his fifth long ball of the season.

The comeback 5-4 win for the Guardians now has them sitting at 56-32 on the year and remain atop of the American League Central division. This was the second straight series win for the Guardians, both coming in the third and final game of the series. More importantly, Cleveland has been able to put their disappointing four-game set in Kansas City which saw them lose three games to the Royals behind them. Being able to work back in this fashion is a trait that good teams share year in and year out, and that is a description that can be applied to the Guardians.