DETROIT -- When the Mariners acquired Josh Naylor from the D-backs on July 21, they envisioned him making a big impact in the postseason.
And there he was on Wednesday, consistently at the center of the action for the Mariners at Comerica Park in a contest that, had it not gotten away from Seattle’s bullpen, would have gone down as the Josh Naylor Game.
Naylor went 3-for-4 in the Mariners’ 9-3 loss to the Tigers in Game 4 of the AL Division Series. The new father actively danced on and around the basepaths, scoring two of Seattle’s runs. He not-so-subtly relayed signals from second base to his teammates in the batter’s box, perhaps having picked up some of Detroit’s cues. His glove was practically a magnet for the baseball while he was in the field.
“He’s a ballplayer, man,” teammate Mitch Garver said. “He's a ballplayer. He wants to win. He'll do anything to help the team. He’s been a great addition for us.”
Here are three ways Naylor impacted things for Seattle on Wednesday:
On the bases
Did Naylor pick up cues from Tigers starter Casey Mize? After he reached second base in both the second and fourth innings, he made gestures toward Mariners hitters on multiple occasions.
“Just [trying to] help the hitter out,” Naylor said.
Naylor hit a one-out double against Mize in the second. Eugenio Suárez followed, and Naylor extended his right arm when Mize came set in a 2-2 count. Mize struck out Suárez swinging and immediately turned around to look at Naylor.
Dominic Canzone followed. Naylor extended his left arm, and Canzone hit a first-pitch splitter to right field for an RBI single to drive him in.
“You’ve just gotta watch the game. Watch tendencies, mechanics,” Naylor said.
Members of the Mariners were understandably tight-lipped about any cues they may have identified. It’s important to note that what Naylor was doing is entirely legal.
Opposing teams trying to decipher signs is as old as the game itself, and that includes baserunners trying to identify catchers’ signs or even the grip a pitcher is holding in their glove.
A bit of a cat-and-mouse game ensued later. Naylor led off the fourth with a base hit off Tigers lefty Troy Holton, and he advanced to second on a Suárez single. With Garver at the plate, Naylor held his right arm out as catcher Dillon Dingler set up on the inner half of the plate.
Holton entered his motion, and Dingler quickly repositioned to the outer half of the plate. This back and forth ensued throughout the seven-pitch sequence that ended with a Garver walk.
At one point during Garver’s plate appearance, Naylor held out both of his arms in a T-pose. At another, he flicked his wrist as if he were bowling.
On the other side, though, Dingler said it felt like the Mariners swung and missed every time Naylor gestured.
“I didn't see a single good take or anything like that,” Dingler said. “A lot of times people do that just to try to get into pitchers' heads. Guys in the dugout, they're like, 'Oh, I think they're tipping location.' And I was like, 'They're doing the same thing over and over and they're not making adjustments, so obviously they don't have anything.'
"You do have to look out for that [stuff], because some teams are better at it than others. But I didn't really notice anything."
In the field and at the mound
Naylor’s saviness also showed up in the field. He recorded a double play in the fourth on a heads-up play following a Gleyber Torres leadoff single.
Colt Keith hit a sharp one-hopper to Naylor, who picked it clean. Torres retreated to the bag, and Naylor tagged him out before stepping on the base to complete the double play. If Naylor hit the base first, Keith would have been out, but Torres would have been safe by retreating.
In the fifth, pitching coach Pete Woodworth came out for a mound visit with Bryce Miller in the fifth, but it was Naylor who talked more than anyone. He was visibly vocal while helping with strategy.
“[Woodworth] didn’t say anything because Naylor took care of it,” Miller said. “[Naylor] just had some words of encouragement.”
Naylor has only been a Mariner for a few months, but he continues to be a force for Seattle and positively impact the ballclub.
“He’s been big for the pitchers and for the whole team,” Miller said. “He's a great dude to have over there at first, and a competitor and fun guy to watch in the box. He’s been a great teammate since he came over.”