Yankees fans owe Josh Naylor a thank you for waking up big-game Gerrit Cole

Josh Naylor had an unbelievably disrespectful celebration after homering off of Gerrit Cole but that might’ve just fueled the Yankees ace against the Guardians.

On Sunday night at Progressive Field, the Cleveland Guardians had the opportunity to send the New York Yankees packing. To do so, though, they would likely have to get a piece off of Gerrit Cole and let some of the ace’s warts that many fans have complained about this season rise to the surface.

Guardians slugger Josh Naylor tried to do that. After Cleveland closed the deficit to 3-1, Naylor cranked a pitch below his knees 405 feet to center field for a solo home run and then had a monstrous celebration as he rocked a baby in Cole’s direction and called the pitcher his “little f***ing son” as he rounded the bases.

It was an all-world level of disrespect with the celebration, especially from a young player far less accomplished in baseball than Cole. And it might’ve been the exact wrong move for Cleveland given what happened after, particularly in regards to the Yankees ace.

Josh Naylor might’ve awoken big-game Gerrit Cole to keep Yankees alive vs Guardians

Fans in the Bronx might have a newfound hatred of Naylor because of the celebration, but they should be sending him a thank you card. Because that celebration in Game 4 opened the door for Cole to be a dominant big-game force for the Yanks.

After the solo shot, Cole retired 12 of the next 13 Guardians hitters he faced, including six strikeouts over that span, with the only hit he allowed being a single. With Giancarlo Stanton delivering a sacrifice fly and the bullpen doing its job, that was enough to keep the Yankees alive in the ALDS with a 4-2 win, forcing the series back to New York for a winner-take-all Game 5.

It’s completely understandable for a player to get hyped for a big moment in a postseason game, even if it might be a bit over the top as it was with Naylor’s celebration. With that said, it also runs the risk of causing the opposing team to zone in and get to work even harder.

And that seems like it was indeed the case for Cole and the Yankees on Sunday night.