Josh Naylor on Wednesday flipped his bat wildly when the ball soared over the fence and flung his helmet in the air as he approached home plate before headbutting Cleveland manager Terry Francona after his two-run shot with two outs in the 10th inning completed a four-run rally that gave the Guardians a thrilling 7-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Amed Rosario began the comeback with a one-out double off closer Emilio Pagan that scored automatic runner Richie Palacios, prompting the Twins to bring in Jharel Cotton (2-2).
A passed ball by Ryan Jeffers scored Steven Kwan, and Cotton retired Jose Ramirez and had two strikes on Naylor before he drove his first game-ending homer the other way onto the left-field porch.
Photo: AP
“I just tried to hit a homer, to be honest,” Naylor said. “I was trying to end the game. I didn’t want to hit a single. I wanted to end it. I just wanted to win.”
After rounding the bases, Naylor excitedly headbutted the 63-year-old Francona, who was wearing a batting helmet.
Earlier this season, a fired-up Naylor wildly threw his lid in the dugout following a big home run against the White Sox.
“I’ve got to go ice my neck,” Francona joked. “I think Josh enjoys being in those situations and that was pretty special right there.”
Minnesota took a 6-3 lead in the top of the 10th on an RBI single from pinch-hitter Carlos Correa and a two-run homer by Max Kepler off Eli Morgan (4-2).
It was Kepler’s 14th home run in 45 career games at Progressive Field.
The teams have split four games in the five-game series, keeping the Twins’ lead over the second-place Guardians in the American League Central at 2.
“I don’t think you’ll see a game much more difficult on a team than that,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’ve got to find a way to finish games out.”
In other games, it was:
‧ Angels 4, White Sox 1
‧ Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 6 (10i)
‧ Cardinals 3, Marlins 4
‧ Cubs 8, Reds 3
‧ Diamondbacks 0, Padres 4
‧ Giants 2, Tigers 3
‧ Mets 0, Astros 2
‧ Mariners 9, Orioles 3
‧ Nationals 7, Pirates 8
‧ Phillies 1, Braves 4
‧ Rays 3, Brewers 5
‧ Rockies 4, Dodgers 8
‧ Royals 2, Rangers 1
‧ Yankees 5, Athletics 3
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