Bo Naylor happy to get 1st MLB hit -- but not as much as brother Josh

CLEVELAND -- Bo Naylor stood on first base and quickly hugged his catching coach Sandy Alomar Jr. in relief. As he paused to listen to the crowd and soak in the moment, he peeked up at the scoreboard that was flashing his brother, Josh Naylor, celebrating in the dugout with an enormous grin on his face.

There was no better time for Bo to record his first hit. The Guardians were in desperate need of a rally, trailing by one in the bottom of the eighth inning. Bo’s single to center moved Myles Straw over to third base and set them up for what would be a two-run inning that earned Cleveland a 7-6 victory over Oakland.

As much as it was important to get the Guardians in the win column, this moment was personal.

Bo had a monkey on his back that’s carried over from the 2022 season. He came up for just five games last year and went 0-for-8. In his first three games with the big league club this season, he had been 0-for-9. He went hitless in his first two at-bats on Wednesday and the longer the stretch grew, the more pressure fell on him. So, when he saw his 99.5-mph line drive into center field hit the grass, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Definitely feels like a big weight lifted off your shoulders,” Bo said. “The guys around me have supported me so much. There’s always going to be another at-bat. So, I think it’s about continuing to going into every at-bat prepared and ready to do whatever you can. That one, that was my moment.”

It wasn’t just Bo’s moment. It was Josh’s moment, too.

Josh continued his hot streak with a four-hit performance that helped lead the Guardians to a victory. But nothing made him happier than watching his younger brother record his first Major League hit.

Bo had worked the count against A’s righty Austin Pruitt to 3-2 after falling behind 0-2. Following the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Josh leaned over the railing of the third-base dugout, yelling, “Come on. Let’s go,” while pumping his fist like any big brother who has all the confidence in the world in his younger sibling.

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Josh knew it could happen. And with the near 20,000 fans in attendance chanting, “Let’s go Bo,” Bo made it happen.

As Bo hustled down the first-base line, Josh couldn’t help but jump up and down with an ear-to-ear smile.

“It was awesome,” Josh said. “It was a very special moment for not only me, but my whole family, my other brother. I can’t really describe how cool the feeling was, but it was awesome to be part of that.”

Bo probably could see his brother in the dugout, but he couldn’t miss it when the scoreboard in left field showed a close up of Josh’s excitement. And when the fans saw it, the crowd erupted even louder.

“I felt really special because he’s such an amazing brother,” Bo said. “He supports me so much, and he’s been one of the guys day in and day out that’s just always building me up and really making me feel like a part of this group. He’s been the first guy to make me feel welcome in this environment, and it showed in that moment, as well.”

After his big first hit, Bo was able to make his way around the bases and score during the next at-bat. He crossed the plate and turned toward his dugout to see Josh, standing by the on-deck circle, waiting for a big hug.

“It was also a really great moment to be able to embrace him after when I scored,” Bo said. “So, great night overall.”

Bo had to wait much longer than he would’ve liked to get his first hit under his belt, especially with the excitement fans have had for his arrival. But it was well worth the wait.

“It was definitely a special one -- something I’ll always be grateful for,” Bo said. “Really embracing the fans and taking my breaths whenever I could in such a high-intensity time, that’s something that I’ll never forget.”