CLEVELAND -- Not only does Josh Naylor continue to deliver hits in the American League Division Series battle against the Yankees, he¡¯s acting as their Guardian, pun totally intended.

In the fourth inning of Cleveland's 4-2 loss in Game 4 that evened the series at two games each, Naylor slugged a solo homer off Gerrit Cole, then provided a memorable celebration by ¡°rocking the baby¡± as he rounded the bases.

At first glance, the rocking motion Naylor made with his arms looked like it could be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Guardians¡¯ oft-referenced age as the youngest team in this postseason. But it was apparently something different.

"Nayls, when he hits homers off people, he calls them his son,¡± teammate Triston McKenzie explained to MLB.com¡¯s Mandy Bell earlier this month. ¡°Hence the rocking the baby as he runs around the bases."

Cole said later that he didn¡¯t notice the gesture. His postgame reaction sounded like a stranger being forced to look at baby pictures.

¡°Yeah, whatever. It¡¯s cute,¡± Cole said.

There was nothing sleepy about the home run, a 110.3 mph drive that traveled 405 feet on a line to right-center. It was the third-hardest hit homer of Naylor's career, and he punished a 97 mph fastball from Cole, who has allowed a home run in each of his last eight postseason appearances, tying Yu Darvish for the longest streak in postseason history. Darvish¡¯s streak is also active as he and the Padres prepare for the National League Championship Series beginning Tuesday.

Naylor, Cleveland's cleanup hitter, finished the game 1-for-4 as the Guardians head back to New York for Monday's winner-take-all Game 5 and a Yankee Stadium crowd that¡¯s more likely to sing Naylor a serenade than a lullaby.

Sunday marked the second consecutive game in this series with an eye-opening home run celebration. Yankees rookie Oswaldo Cabrera watched his Game 3 homer leave the park before flipping his bat toward the Yankees' dugout. The Guardians got the last laugh with a three-run rally built on singles.

Sunday turned the tables.

¡°We can¡¯t get caught up in that,¡± Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Naylor¡¯s celebration. ¡°We¡¯re trying to win.¡±

The 25-year-old Naylor entered the night 1-for-12 off the 32-year-old Cole, including an 0-for-3 performance in Game 1 of the series. That lone hit, however, was a home run on July 2 of this season, also to right-center at Progressive Field. The drive opened the scoring in that game, but the Yankees went on to a 13-4 win.