AL DIVISION SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 14, 2022

Josh Naylor

Yankee Stadium

Cleveland Guardians

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Guardians - 4, Yankees - 2

Q. How's your leg?

JOSH NAYLOR: Still there.

Q. What happened?

JOSH NAYLOR: Just jammed my leg on the base.

Q. You twisted your ankle?

JOSH NAYLOR: I'll be all right.

Q. Did you reaggravate it going down to first base?

JOSH NAYLOR: Yeah, I just stepped on the base a little wrong. I'll be all right.

Q. Does it say anything about how close these games are that it's decided by two opposite-field bloops like this in a season where most of the big games are home runs, hard hit balls?

JOSH NAYLOR: Yeah, I just think we just try find a way on base anyway we have. If it's a bloop hit, it's a bloop hit; if it's a hard-hit single, double, whatever the case it, we just try to hustle. Try to make things happen on the field, try to put pressure on the defense, and that's really just kind of our mentality and play hard until the end.

Q. Was it a hard day to hit with the sun and the shadows the way they were?

JOSH NAYLOR: A little bit. Shadows can benefit the pitchers a lot, but no excuse. I think it was a really good pitching day for both sides. Yeah, I think Bieber did phenomenal. He's always our guy who does great. Our whole staff does crazy good all the time. But yeah, it was a good game all around.

Q. What's the feeling going back to Cleveland 1-1?

JOSH NAYLOR: We're excited to go back as a team. Get on the plane ride and enjoy the moment, enjoy the win today and get locked back in tomorrow.

Q. What can you say about the job of Emmanuel Clase and what he did today and what he's meant to you guys all season?

JOSH NAYLOR: He's lights out all the time. It's kind of hard to describe how good that guy is. He always comes through for us. We can rely on him at any point in the game. He went two and a few today, and I think, what was it, the first Wild Card game, going two innings or something like that, that was crazy. The fact that he's still throwing a hundred after two innings is nuts. He's a great pitcher and we're thankful we have him.

Q. What are you thinking when you score the first run, what's going through your mind?

JOSH NAYLOR: Base hit and I honestly just wanted to get the RBI for my teammates. Doesn't matter who it is, I just want to score and be as fast as I can for that guy to get a run on the board for the team and him individually. We play hard for each other. That's our mentality here. It's not about any specific individual. We just want to win together.