CLEVELAND – Bo Naylor and Josh Naylor delivered RBI hits in the 10th inning — after the brothers connected for home runs earlier — as the Cleveland Guardians rallied for a 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.
Josh Naylor tied it with an RBI double before turning it over to his brother — on National Siblings Day.
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With the bases loaded, Bo Naylor, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning — just moments after his brother connected for one — dropped his single into right field off former Guardians reliever Bryan Shaw (0-1) as Cleveland came back after trailing 5-0.
“Playing games as kids prepared us for those moments,” Josh Naylor said.
The Naylors, who are a little more than two years apart in age, were unaware their performances came on a day to celebrate brothers and sisters.
“No idea,” 28-year-old Josh Naylor said.
“Not a clue,” said Bo Naylor, who is 26. “So it’s kind of crazy to be able to share a home run in the same inning with him.”
Eli Morgan (1-0) picked up the win as the Guardians improved to 9-3, their best start since going 11-1 in 2002.
Steven Kwan also homered for Cleveland.
The Naylor brothers pulled the Guardians within 5-3 in the fourth on homers off White Sox starter Erick Fedde.
Josh Naylor hit his second homer in two days, a one-out, 432-foot shot into the center-field bullpens for his third of the season. After Ramon Laureano was hit by a pitch, Bo Naylor knocked Feede’s first pitch over the wall in straightaway center.
Josh Naylor always felt playing alongside his younger brother was possible.
“I dreamt of it as a kid,” he said. “I knew it would come true eventually if we just keep working hard. So it’s not really a shock to me. I kind of believed in it from Day One and I knew that if we just continue to work hard at our craft, we’d either play against each other or play with each other.”
For Bo Naylor, getting to be teammates with his brother is a blessing.
“Every time I'm in the locker room, I get to be able to hang out with my brother,” he said. “It’s a new special moment. Every end of inning I get to throw a ball over to him. It’s special. I’m super grateful to be able to share these experiences with him.”
The White Sox fell to 2-10 amid a rash of major injuries.
Gavin Sheets hit a three-run homer and had five RBIs for Chicago.
“It’s a tough lineup over there,” said White Sox manager Pedro Grifol. “It’s a scrappy team. It’s a good team. We played them well this series, we just need to find ways to drive in runners.”
Sheets connected in the third inning off Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee as the White Sox jumped to a 5-0 lead for the second night in a row.
And for the second straight night, the Guardians came back and tied it.
Before the game, the White Sox learned they'll be without third baseman Yoán Moncada for at least three months, and maybe the rest of this season. He sustained a severe leg injury while running to first base Tuesday.
The injury was another blow to Chicago's lineup, which has lost its 2-3-4 hitters — Moncada, outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (hip flexor) and slugger Eloy Jimenez — to injuries during its first road trip.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: Jimenez has improved and it's possible he could be back Friday, when Chicago opens a three-game series at home against Cincinnati. Jimenez, who has been out since March 31, was off to a slow start, batting just .182 (2 of 11) in three games.
Guardians: RHP Shane Bieber will have Tommy John surgery on Friday in Dallas. Following the game, Bieber was saying goodbye to teammates. He has a long recovery ahead.
UP NEXT
White Sox: Open a three-game series Friday with Cincinnati. Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (0-1, 3.48 ERA) starts the opener against RHP Chris Flexen (0-2, 5.91).
Guardians: Open a three-game series against the Yankees on Friday with RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-0, 4.50 ERA) facing New York RHP Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 4.66).
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb