Gleyber Torres mocks Josh Naylor with baby-rocking celebration originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The New York Yankees will sleep like babies tonight.
After Gleyber Torres stepped on second base to record the final out of a 5-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday, he stood on the bag and rocked the baby.
The mock celebration was in response to Guardians’ designated hitter Josh Naylor, who did the same rocking motion while rounding the bases after hitting a home run off Gerritt Cole in Game 4 while calling the star pitcher his “son.”
“Yeah, whatever. It’s cute,” Cole said after Game 4. “It wouldn’t have bothered me in the moment and it just is kind of funny.”
The Yankees went on to win that game and the next rather easily – kind of like taking candy from a baby. They advance to the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, with Game 1 set for Wednesday night.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Yankees an early lead. Aaron Judge followed with a solo shot in the second and Anthony Rizzo tacked on an RBI single in the fifth inning.
Yankees starter Nester Cortes, pitching on three days rest, allowed three hits and one run over five innings. Jonathan Loaisiga tossed two shutout innings in relief and Clay Holmes and Wandy Peralta closed in out with a scoreless frame each.
Peralta got Naylor to ground out for the first out of the inning. After Gabriel Arias reached on an infield single, Peralta got Myles Straw to ground out to shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who flipped to Torres at second for the final out and baby rocking.
Torres wasn’t the only person at Yankee Stadium to mock Naylor. Many fans in attendance also did the rocking motion and serenaded Naylor with chants of “Who’s Your Daddy?”
That chant, of course, was first used at Yankees games in 2004 to taunt Pedro Martinez, whose struggles against New York led the Hall of Fame pitcher to say, “I just tip my cap and call the Yankees my Daddy.”