The Detroit Tigers have beef with Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor.
So much so that the Tigers retaliated.
Right-hander Keider Montero threw at Naylor in the fifth inning Saturday, June 6, in the second of three games at Comerica Park, hitting him in the right shoulder with a first-pitch 96 mph fastball.
It appeared intentional.
“You like him if you’re his teammate, and you hate him if you’re the other team,” third baseman Colt Keith said after Saturday’s 4-0 loss. “I’ve seen him do some questionable, borderline dirty baseball stuff, but I think he plays hard. He’s just trying to get in our heads. I don’t think Keider hit him on purpose, but obviously, he brings a little bit more intensity.”
In Friday’s fifth inning, Naylor ran into Kevin McGonigle on a play at first base, even though he could’ve flipped the ball to right-hander Bryan Woo, who hustled to cover first base. In Saturday’s fifth inning, Naylor threw his sliding mitt at catcher Dillon Dingler before sliding into home, where he was safe.
This time, the Tigers handled the conflict the old-school way.
“It was the circumstances of the game,” Montero said in Spanish, interpreted by team employee Carlos Guillén. “Nothing out of sportsmanship.”
But Naylor didn’t let the hit-by-pitch bother him.
The 28-year-old smiled as he exchanged words with Dingler and jogged to first base, then he was out at second base when Randy Arozarena grounded into a double play to end the fifth inning. On the double play, Naylor slid through second base and nearly took out second baseman Gleyber Torres.
“That’s his playing style,” Montero said after Saturday’s game, in which he allowed four runs across five innings. “Everybody has their own way to play the game, so I have nothing to say about it because everybody individually has their own way to play the game.”
This isn’t the first time Naylor has been an antagonist against Detroit.
The slugger drew attention from the Tigers in Game 4 of the 2025 ALDS for allegedly stealing signs from second base and signaling his Mariners teammates.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New villain: Tigers hit Josh Naylor with fastball after dirty plays
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
