(Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Guardians recently let go of catcher Mike Zunino, clearing the way for top prospect Bo Naylor.
Naylor hasn’t been terribly impressive at the plate thus far, hitting just .125.
However, his hitting was not the story of the game on Tuesday as the Guardians took on the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals led in the bottom of the eighth inning by a score of 1-0 when the Guardians had reliever Trevor Stephan on the mound.
Stephan lost control of a 92-mph fastball and Nicky Lopez attempted to steal second base.
However, Naylor leapt to corral the pitch and fire a strike to second.
Andres Gimenez then put the tag on Lopez for the out.
MLB posted the video on Twitter.
How did Bo Naylor catch this and STILL throw him out?! pic.twitter.com/YbqVAUijTz
— MLB (@MLB) June 28, 2023
This play ultimately turned the momentum in the Guardians’ favor, as they rallied for two runs in the ninth and held on for their 38th win of the season.
But it was certainly an impressive play by Naylor.
In any ordinary scenario, this ball would have gone straight to the backstop for a wild pitch.
However, Naylor wasn’t going to allow that to happen.
The pitch caused Royals catcher Freddy Fermin to recoil and buckle backwards, but it wasn’t too far out of Naylor’s reach.
Despite having the gear on, Naylor was able to pull the pitch down and deliver a strike to second base to nab Lopez and record the second out of the inning.
A Will Brennan double ultimately proved to be the difference in the game as the Guardians held on for a win.
The post Guardians Catcher Bo Naylor Made A Must-See Play appeared first on The Cold Wire.