SEATTLE (AP) — Josh Naylor was adamant he didn’t like it, but the results said otherwise.
Naylor was talking about incorporating a bigger leg kick to help with his timing. The Mariners first baseman made the adjustment for the first time Monday, and he hit his first two homers of the season in a 6-2 win over the Houston Astros that gave Seattle a rare four-game sweep of its division rival.
“I just decided I was going to try a little leg kick today because,
why not?” Naylor said. “What’s the worst that can happen, I go 0 for 4 again? I’ve done that already, been there, done that type of thing.”
Naylor isn’t sure if he'll stick with the new move or go back to his usual setup and swing. But the latter wasn't working to start the year. The eight-year veteran entered the game hitting .102 with two RBIs.
Luck wasn’t on Naylor’s side, either.
According to Baseball Savant, Naylor’s hard-hit rate of 35.4% exceeded that of teammate Cal Raleigh — who hit 60 homers last season — as well as seven other Mariners.
“He found a lot of barrels,” manager Dan Wilson said. “He found a lot of hard-hit balls. He knew that it was coming. And, tonight, I thought the second homer was really crushed, in particular.”
Naylors's second homer was a 433-foot, two-run shot to center field. Naylor flipped his bat, then knocked it further into the air with his right hand to celebrate the longest home run of the season by a Seattle player.
Acquired last July in a trade with Arizona, Naylor batted .299 with nine homers, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 54 games for Seattle. He signed a $92.5 million, five-year contract in November.
Naylor said he felt supported by Mariners fans even while he struggled.
“I think maybe a few days ago, I hit a line drive and I got out and I was 0 for 3 so far on the day, and I heard some fan — I try to block out a lot of things said — but I heard some fan (say), ‘Keep your head up, you’re good, you’re the best,’” Naylor said. “And I appreciated that. I’m not the best right now, but I do appreciate that.”
Even with Naylor scuffling through the first three games, Seattle completed just the second four-game sweep of division rival Houston in franchise history. The first was from Aug. 9-12, 2018.
With the Mariners heading to San Diego for a three-game series, Naylor has to decide what to do about that leg kick.
“Maybe I stick with it, maybe I try to go back to my regular swing, but who knows,” Naylor said. “I think that’s a part of this long season. This game we play is the hardest game in the world, in my opinion. Really tough on your mind. So, I think trying to do things to minimize thinking too much, I guess, that helps you in the long run.”
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