June 29, 2023

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) and Chicago Cubs outfielder/first baseman Jared Young (Prince George, B.C.) each belted their first major league home runs on Wednesday.

Batting ninth and catching for the Guardians, Naylor clubbed a two-run homer off Kansas City Royals right-hander James McArthur in the sixth inning to help his team to a 14-1 win at Kauffman Stadium.

Naylor’s first major league home run came in his 13th big league game. The Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum suited up for five contests with the Guardians last season and has played eight with the club in 2023.

The younger Naylor registered his first big league hit one week earlier when he singled off Oakland A’s right-hander Austin Pruitt.

His older brother, Josh, who was on the top step of the Guardians’ dugout to greet Naylor after his home run, also had two doubles for the Guardians in their win on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Jared Young (Prince George, B.C.) socked his first major league home run when he hit a solo shot off Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola in the third inning of the Chicago Cubs’ 8-5 loss at Wrigley Field.

Young had just been called up and was playing in his first game with the Cubs this season. He also went 5-for-19 in six contests with the Cubs in 2022.

Chosen in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB draft by the Cubs, the Okanagan Athletics alum has played parts of six seasons in the Cubs’ system. He was batting .326 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs in 52 games with the triple-A Iowa Cubs before his call-up on Wednesday.

In March, Naylor and Young were teammates on the national team that participated in the World Baseball Classic.