Oh, brother! Naylors hit homers in same inning
The Naylor brothers turned National Siblings Day into quite a family affair.
Josh Naylor and his younger brother, Bo, both hit home runs in the same inning Wednesday night for the Cleveland Guardians in their 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Josh Naylor connected for a solo homer with one out in the fourth off Chicago’s Erick Fedde, and Bo Naylor smashed a two-run shot to center field two batters later.
They went on to deliver RBI hits in the 10th inning as the Guardians rallied for the victory. Josh Naylor tied the score with an RBI double. Then, with the bases loaded, Bo Naylor dropped a single into right field off former Guardians reliever Bryan Shaw as Cleveland came back after trailing 5-0.
“What a night for them, homer in the same inning and then game-tying and then game-winning hits,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “I just can’t imagine doing that with your brother. It is so cool.”
The Naylors were unaware their performances came on a day to celebrate siblings.
“Not a clue,” said Bo Naylor, who is 24. “So it’s kind of crazy to be able to share a home run in the same inning with him.”
Josh Naylor, 26, said he always felt playing alongside his younger brother was possible.
“I dreamt of it as a kid,” he said. “I knew it would come true eventually if we just keep working hard. So it’s not really a shock to me. I kind of believed in it from day one and I knew that if we just continue to work hard at our craft, we’d either play against each other or play with each other.”
Wednesday was the second time the Naylors homered in the same inning, having done it July 14 last season at the Texas Rangers.
Before the Naylors connected last season, the last brothers to homer in the same inning were B.J. and Justin Upton for the Atlanta Braves in 2013.
The Naylors are the sixth pair of brothers since 1900 to each hit a home run in the same inning and the fourth to do it multiple times, joining the Uptons, Billy and Cal Ripken and Lloyd and Paul Waner.
The only pair to do it as opponents is Rick and Wes Ferrell in 1933. Wes Ferrell hit a home run for Cleveland in the top of the fourth inning, and in the bottom, Rick Ferrell hit a home run for Boston off his brother, who was pitching.
For Bo Naylor, getting to be teammates with his brother is a blessing.
“Every time I’m in the locker room, I get to be able to hang out with my brother,” he said. “It’s a new special moment. Every end of inning, I get to throw a ball over to him. It’s special. I’m super grateful to be able to share these experiences with him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
