TORONTO — Ernie Clement watched Friday night's epic Game 5 between the Tigers and Mariners and once the 15-inning affair was over, he stayed by the television to catch the player interviews.
Clement perked up when he noticed his old friend Josh Naylor appear on the screen. Naylor, still on the field after the Mariners celebrated the final out of the four-hour, 58-minute battle, was asked his thoughts on moving on to face his hometown Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.
The Mississauga, Ont., native responded with the platitude that the Blue Jays were just "another opponent" and a "team we got to beat," but then mentioned his former Guardians teammates Clement, Myles Straw, Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin.
"Those are my boys so I'm happy we're all there," Naylor said. "We were all Cleveland boys at one point and they traded us and now we're going [to the ALCS]."
Clement was appreciative of the shout-out.
"It put a smile on my face, honestly, because that's a guy who, when he gets brought up in conversation, everybody who's ever played with him loves him," Clement said on Saturday in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse. "Being with Cleveland, we got to know each other really well. He's a guy I've rooted for ever since I played with him."
Straw also considers Naylor a close friend and even attended his wife's baby shower earlier this season when Naylor was in town.
"I love Nayls forever. He was one of the best teammates I played with for sure," Straw said during the Blue Jays’ workout day at Rogers Centre. "He's got your back. He's going to tell you what you need to know. He's going to back you up. I'm always a Naylor fan but obviously, this series it's a little different."
Naylor figures to be one of the more compelling figures in this ALCS, which begins with Sunday night's Game 1 in Toronto (Sportsnet, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT). Yes, there's the hometown component, which will surely be talked about ad nauseam during the best-of-seven series. However, there's also the fact that Naylor is playing some spirited baseball at the moment.
The 28-year-old first baseman joined the Mariners in a July trade with the Diamondbacks, who acquired him in an off-season deal with the Guardians. Naylor, along with fellow deadline acquisition Eugenio Suarez, proceeded to alter the complexion of Seattle’s lineup, helping the club surge toward a 90-72 finish and the AL West crown.
Naylor, a pending free agent, produced a 138 OPS-plus and 2.2 wins above replacement in just 54 games with the M’s and has also brandished a different element of his game this year. He tallied 30 stolen bases during the regular season — a number that was tied for 19th in MLB — and did that with a sprint speed that profiled as one of the worst in the sport.
"He's just a really, really smart baseball player," said Clement. "Him stealing bases is not surprising to me. Yeah, I know a lot of people are like, 'Oh, he's not the fastest guy in the world. How is he stealing these bases?’ But his anticipation and how he slows the game down is impressive. You saw it last night."
Naylor played a key role in the Mariners’ clincher on Friday. Facing Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in the second inning, the left-handed hitter flipped a 100.2-m.p.h. outside sinker into left field for a double, stole third base convincingly and then scored on Mitch Garver’s sacrifice fly.
Later, with the Mariners trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Naylor fouled off two tough splitters from Kyle Finnegan before sending a sharp single to right field that set up Leo Rivas's dramatic game-tying hit.
"He's a good at-bat," said Straw. "I've been watching baseball more over the last couple weeks, kind of keeping up with what's left and who's not, and I feel like every at-bat I watch of Naylor, he's fouling his pitches off and it's 0-2 and he can still get it done.
"He's got the power but he's kind of a pest at the same time," continued the outfielder. "So, he's just a complete hitter and I've seen him ruin a lot of guys throughout the years."
Added Clement: "He's totally made for that moment. He just has that really slow heartbeat in big moments and knows the game pretty much as well as anybody."
Clement can pinpoint the moment he knew Naylor was simply different. Cleveland acquired Naylor in a late-August trade with San Diego during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and he was an instant source of energy. In his very first playoff game, Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees, Naylor collected four hits, including a 424-foot home run off Gerrit Cole.
Clement was part of the Guardians' taxi squad at the time and was intently watching the action.
"I got a front-row seat for that," said Clement. "Just the way he came over and immediately made his presence felt. In the big moments, those guys who know the game really well and can slow it down are gonna definitely have success."
Blue Jays pitchers — and position players, for that matter — will be tasked with trying to disrupt Naylor’s game over the next week. Clement is hoping he receives a nice ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd but that's about all he wants for his friend.
"I don't want him to hit too many balls hard and hit too many homers against us," said Clement with a smile. "The fans here love their local guys. So, it'll be cool for him to be back but I'm sure he's just going to go about it and try to kick our ass. So, we gotta stop him from doing that."
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