© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor reacts to striking out in the seventh inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Emotion poured out of Josh Naylor as he rumbled around the bases after hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday to beat Minnesota by a score of 7-6 at Progressive Field.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Cal Quantrill looks back at his catcher as Minnesota Twins third baseman Gio Urshela rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the sixth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

At a moment when he should have felt as high as the mighty bat flip he delivered on his way to first base, the only thought on Naylor’s mind was protecting the right leg he had injured almost a year ago to the day against the very same Twins team in Minneapolis.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Minnesota Twins first baseman Jose Miranda dives back to tag out Cleveland Guardians shortstop Amed Rosario on a double play in the sixth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

“I was kind of worried,” Naylor admitted afterward. “I didn’t want anyone to hit my leg. I told them beforehand no jumping at home plate. Just let me kind of run through you guys and call it a day.”

Naylor escaped the celebration unscathed, save that of a torn-away jersey. The same could not be said of manager Terry Francona, who received a full-on headbutt from his rambunctious slugger when the two met in front of the Guardians dugout.

“I’ve gotta go ice my neck,” Francona told reporters while exiting the press interview room. That’s when a wave of genuine concern washed over Naylor, who is typically mild-mannered, gentle and soft-spoken.

From the back of the room Naylor stood up, his hair still dripping from the ice water shower he received on the field. The 25 year old reached out and apologized to his approaching skipper, only to have his concerns deflected with a brief but sincere hug from Francona.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Minnesota Twins third baseman Gio Urshela rounds the bases after hitting a home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Cal Quantrill in the sixth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

“I think he enjoys being there,” Francona said when asked what it takes for somebody like Naylor to perform so well in a clutch situation.

“Home runs are welcome from us, but we have what we have and they keep fighting,” Francona said. “That was pretty special.”

We’ve seen Naylor’s fuse lit like this before. On May 10 in Chicago he twice went deep in dramatic fashion against the White Sox, first with a game-tying grand slam in the ninth and later with a game-winning three-run blast in extra innings.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Minnesota Twins catcher Gary Sanchez (R) congratulates Twins Alex Kirilloff after hitting a two-run homer off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Cal Quantrill in the sixth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

But everything about “The Josh Naylor Game 2.0″ raised the stakes over the first installment.

The opponent, Minnesota, had not only taken a commanding lead behind Max Kepler’s two-run homer off Eli Morgan in the top of the 10th, but as the American League Central Division frontrunner, the Twins threatened to widen their lead over the Guardians to four games had Naylor and his teammates not rallied for the win.

Twins hitters, to that point in the series, had out-homered Cleveland 10-0, and the Guardians cardiac offense, which has a penchant for scoring late in games, had seemed pretty punchless over the first four matchups.

Naylor changed all of that with one swing. He spent most of that climactic at-bat hunting changeups from Twins righty Jharel Cotton, knowing that Cotton featured a pretty good offspeed pitch. But after watching a few fastballs go by, and fouling off the penultimate offering from Cotton, Naylor changed his approach and looked for a way to get off the field with a victory.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians players wait for Josh Naylor to get to home plate to celebrate his walk off two-run homer off Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jharel Cotton in the tenth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

“I was just trying to end the game,” Naylor said. “Whoever I faced, I knew I could do it. I was just kind of waiting for the right pitch and I got a good one later in the count and tried to do damage on it.”

It was Naylor’s first career walk-off plate appearance and Cleveland’s first walk-off home run since Oscar Mercado beat Chicago on Sept. 23 in the second game of a doubleheader. Naylor finished with three RBI, including a sacrifice fly in the third that made the score 3-0 in favor of the Guardians at the time.

Meanwhile, Naylor’s clutch statistics remain eye-popping. He’s hitting .365 with five home runs and 32 RBI with runners in scoring position, but when the situation demands more, he raises his game. Naylor’s .500 batting average in extra innings includes three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI. He’s a big reason the Guardians are 7-2 in extra-inning games.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians players wait for Josh Naylor to get to home plate to celebrate his walk off two-run homer off Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jharel Cotton in the tenth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

Naylor said Cleveland’s team style is to “create chaos” on the basepaths, put up good at-bats and put the ball in play, not necessarily hit 25 home runs each.

“We’re like real baseball players,” Naylor said. “We just spray the field out and we just try to create chaos, have good at-bats where it counts, steal bases, hit and run, kind of play old-fashioned baseball. We’ve got a really cool dynamic with a good group.”

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians players celebrate Josh Naylor’s walk off two-run homer off Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jharel Cotton in the tenth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

Naylor’s clutch exploits are not taken lightly by his teammates.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians Josh Naylor screams after head butting manager Terry Francona ;in celebration of his walk off two-run homer in the tenth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

“It’s really unique,” said rookie Steven Kwan. “He’s a passionate guy. He loves baseball, he loves the boys, he loves winning. When all those things come together at once, you kind of see the passion it brings out in him.”

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians Josh Naylor grabs the helmet worn by manager Terry Francona to give him a head butt in celebrattion of his walk off two-run homer in the tenth inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

Naylor said the Guardians are not concerned right now with standings, nor who the opponent is in any given game.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez rips a single off Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Dylan Bundy throws in the first inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

“We’re just gonna fight every day, we’re gonna play hard every day, no matter who we’re facing,” he said. “We want to play our game, play hard and hopefully celebrate after, have fun on the field with each other and go out there and enjoy the time we’re out there.”

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez signals he is safe at second base on a force out as Minnesota Twins second baseman Luis Arraez throws to first base for a double play attempt that went wild for an error in the first inning, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

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© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Cal Quantrill throws in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

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Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Eli Morgan throws in the tenth inning against the Minnesota Twins, June 29, 2022, at Progressive Field.

© John Kuntz/cleveland.com/TNS