Cleveland Indians: Josh Naylor makes MLB postseason history

Cleveland Indians outfielder Josh Naylor made history on Wednesday night against the New York Yankees.

Cleveland Indians outfielder Josh Naylor has played in only two career MLB postseason games, but the 23-year-old second-year player made history on Wednesday night against the New York Yankees.

In game two of Cleveland’s American League Wild Card round matchup vs the New York Yankees, Josh Naylor became the first player in MLB history to record a base hit in each of his first five postseason plate appearances.

Naylor made each of these hits count.

In Game One, a 12-3 loss to the Yankees, Naylor went 4-4 with a home run, one RBI, and two runs scored. His four hits accounted for half of Cleveland’s hits against Gerrit Cole and Luis Cessa.

Naylor doubled in the bottom of the second, hit a solo home run in the fourth, singled to lead off the seventh, and doubled in the bottom of the ninth.

The former first-round pick of the Miami Marlins kept his streak alive in game two, collecting a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning off Masahiro Tanaka to give the Cleveland Indians an early jump in their win-or-go-home battle.

Naylor’s streak came to an end in the bottom of the third when he flew out to center field to close out the frame.

Josh Naylor joined the Cleveland Indians at the trade deadline as part of the return package for starting pitcher Mike Clevinger. In 22 games during the regular season, Naylor slashed .230/.277/.279 with no home runs, three doubles, and two RBI.

Despite the slow start that came with adjusting to his new life in Cleveland, Naylor picked an ideal time to endear himself to Indians fans.

At 23, Naylor figures to be an important piece in Cleveland’s lineup moving forward and showed off some of his offensive promise as a rookie last season in San Diego. In 94 games last year, Naylor hit eight home runs with 15 doubles and a .719 OPS in a part-time role.

He may be joined by a familiar face in Cleveland’s lineup in a few years. Josh’s brother Bo Naylor is the fourth-ranked prospect in the Cleveland Indians minor league system. He’s the top-ranked catching prospect for the Indians and played in High-A last season.

Congratulations to Cleveland Indians outfielder Josh Naylor on making MLB history with five base hits in his first five career postseason plate appearances.