B. Naylor's pinch-hit 3-run HR exemplifies differences in '23 and '24 Guards

CLEVELAND -- If you need yet another way to articulate just how different this year’s Guardians offense is when compared to last year’s, consider the pinch-hit home run.

The 2023 Cleveland club hit zero of them. As in, none. As in, it never happened. Not even once. And maybe that’s not surprising to hear, considering that Guardians team hit a Major League-worst 124 home runs in any scenario.

This year’s team now has four instances of pinch-hit power prominence after Bo Naylor was the hero with a game-changing, three-run blast off the bench in the sixth inning of Sunday’s 5-4 victory over the Giants at Progressive Field. So not only have the Guards leapt into the top 10 in MLB in homers overall (103), but Naylor’s clutch clout puts them ahead of every other club in pinch-hit pokes this year.

“There’s no greater feeling,” said manager Stephen Vogt, “than coming off the bench and putting your team ahead.”

First place is a pretty good feeling, too. Thanks to Naylor’s heroics, the Guardians completed yet another series victory and a successful 4-2 homestand to retain their six-game advantage in the AL Central. And the locals are noticing. Some big holiday week crowds, including the 32,012 who showed up Sunday, have pushed attendance at Progressive Field past the one million mark through 41 home dates -- the fastest Cleveland has reached that mark since 2008.

It all stems from a lineup that has been far, far more productive than advertised. Yet much of the success has come in spite of the struggles of the young Naylor, who had looked to be a breakout candidate this year, but has largely labored at the plate.

So, perhaps Sunday’s swat can swing not only a game, but a season for a kid looking to gain confidence.

“Whether you're in there or not in that starting lineup,” Naylor said, “you’ve got to be ready.”

Naylor, who has a disappointing .608 OPS on the year and a .697 OPS in a big-league career that began in late 2022, had come through in a pinch in the first game of the homestand, delivering a sacrifice fly to bring home a walk-off win against the White Sox. And while the situation he was thrust into Sunday was not in the ninth inning, it was arguably more dramatic.

The score stood 3-2 after starter Carlos Carrasco had been touched for three early runs. The Guards had fought back against Giants starter Hayden Birdsong in the fourth, when an Angel Martínez single and José Ramírez double set up an RBI single from Bo’s older brother, Josh, and an RBI double from Daniel Schneemann. But when Josh was thrown out on a close play at the plate on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Tyler Freeman, it stalled Cleveland’s momentum.

That is, until the sixth, when, with two out, Andrés Giménez and Freeman both singled off Sean Hjelle to spark a rally. Vogt sent Bo Naylor to the plate in place of Austin Hedges, and, after falling behind 0-2, Naylor worked the count to 2-2, then took advantage of a two-seamer on the inner edge of the plate that didn’t sink.

“I made a [bad] pitch, and he put a good swing on it,” Hjelle said. “That's it. Plain and simple.”

But coming in to face a 6-foot-11 reliever and swatting a homer to the right-field seats isn’t as simple as Naylor, who gave the Guards a lead they would not relinquish in the late innings, made it look in that moment.

“It’s just being ready,” said Naylor, “trying to swing at good pitches, and making sure that you understand the situation you're a part of, who you're facing. Just those little things, and trying to get it done.”

That the Guards have now “gotten it done” with a pinch-hit home run four times is a credit, Vogt said, to their preparation.

“[Hitting analyst] Josh Tubbs and [run production coordinator] Jason Esposito behind the scenes in the cage getting our pinch-hitters ready, Val and Dan [hitting coach Chris Valaika and assistant hitting coach Dan Puente] always ready with the gameplan when we're in the dugout, our guys are prepared,” Vogt said. “The staff is prepared for moments like that.”

Moments like that can swing a game and a season. And perhaps Naylor’s big moment -- on a day his big brother was named to his first All-Star roster -- will swing his season.

“I'm sure he'll be the first one to tell you he's not pleased or satisfied with the year he's having offensively,” said Vogt, “but he's made such huge strides the last three or four weeks now, being willing to make an adjustment in-season and staying ready.”