Gleyber Torres rocks the baby as Yankees get last laugh at Guardians, Josh Naylor

Stunt wisely. It can come back to bite you.

Just ask Josh Naylor. The Cleveland Guardians first baseman learned the lesson the hard way Tuesday.

Naylor made waves when he hit a home run off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in Game 4 of their ALDS series on Sunday. It wasn't his home run that drew attention, but his reaction. Naylor "rocked the baby" as he rounded the bases while mouthing some version of "that's my little f***ing son" — the implication here being that he is indeed Cole's daddy.

The @CLEGuardians are climbing back, they only trail by 1. #Postseasonpic.twitter.com/NhnjfM3APH

— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2022

Cole, who registered the win as the Yankees tied the series at 2-2, understandably didn't seem to appreciate Naylor's sentiment. Though he declined to make a big deal out of it. He left that task to Yankees fans and teammates. They delivered on Tuesday.

The Yankees and Guardians squared off in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Tuesday with a trip to the ALCS at stake. Things did not go well for Naylor. When Naylor broke his bat for an out on a Nestor Cortes fastball, Yankees fans let him hear it.

Yankees fans serenade Josh Naylor with "who's your daddy" chants pic.twitter.com/vyKTO2yqCF

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 18, 2022

As he walked to the dugout amid an 0-for-4 effort at the plate, he was greeted by grinning Yankees fans rocking their own babies.

He's not living this down pic.twitter.com/1Ni8xWSRLJ

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 18, 2022

And when Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres stepped on second base for the final out of the game to secure a 5-1 series-ending win for the Yankees, he was ready. As soon as the out was secured, baby-rocking ensued.

ROCK THE BABY!!!

The @Yankees advance to the ALCS! pic.twitter.com/VRpZywkBpY

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 18, 2022

The Yankees advanced. Naylor and the Guardians are sent home. In short, none of this worked out in Naylor's favor.

Baseball's been mired in a debate for years over whether it's appropriate for batters to express a modicum of joy after achieving success at the plate. Heaven forbid infringing on the fragile feelings of professional pitchers.

Naylor's taunt took things up a dramatic level from a bat flip. His wasn't simply an expression of joy, but direct and flagrant disrespect aimed at Cole in a game that his Guardians lost. Then they went out and lost the next one to end their season.

And the Yankees and their fans were more than happy to let Naylor know exactly who was whose daddy.

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