Josh Naylor stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and a one-run lead, and he didn’t want a walk. Facing Silseth, he swung at just about everything thrown his way, refusing to let the count work in his favor. Silseth mixed fastballs high with splitters and sweepers, trying to get Naylor to chase, and he did. Over and over. Six or more chases out of the zone, but Naylor kept fouling them off. He was determined to swing and make something happen. Finally, after a rare take on a low splitter, Naylor got a fastball in the zone. He stayed on it and pulled it past the right side of the infield.
Two runs scored. What should have been ball six ended in two more on the board. Naylor’s aggressive approach paid off, even if the plate discipline wasn’t textbook. The hit skipped by the first and second baseman, just out of reach. Not hard hit, but placed well enough. That at-bat showed Naylor’s refusal to take the easy road to first. He stayed alive, kept battling, and delivered.