Jose Ramirez is reminding everyone why his name still carries so much weight in Cleveland.
Even after what the source described as his worst season in a long time in 2026 - an OPS of .688, his lowest since 2015 - Ramirez has flipped the script in October. In Game 1 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and helped push the Guardians to a 7-3 win and a 1-0 series lead.
That latest RBI also put him at eight for the postseason, and every one of those runs batted in has come during Cleveland’s last four games, all victories. According to Francys Romero of Beisbol FR, that four-game RBI burst is the most by a Guardians player since Jim Thome matched it in 1999.
Across six games this postseason, Ramirez has posted two home runs, eight RBIs and eight runs, while hitting .348/.444/.739. The numbers tell the story: when Ramirez gets rolling, the Guardians look different.
The team has been good enough to stay in the fight even with Ramirez not at his sharpest during the regular season, but their ceiling rises fast when he starts driving the offense. Right now, he looks like the engine of the whole operation.
There’s also a chance here for some redemption. The source points back to Cleveland’s painful 2016 postseason run, when they lost to the Chicago Cubs in seven games in the World Series. It’s far too early to start talking about the Fall Classic again, since the Guardians still need three more wins, but they’ve put themselves in a strong spot - and they’re taking advantage of it.
In Other News...
Guardians' Most Painful Trade Looks Even Worse After New Report
The 2021 swap that sent Junior Caminero from Cleveland to Tampa Bay has long lingered as one of the organizations toughest second guesses, and fresh reporting only adds another layer to the regret. The Guardians moved the then-rising prospect for pitcher Tobias Myers, a deal made with the hope of solving a pitching need while parting with a young hitter who was still far from the majors.
Now the sting is not just what Cleveland gave up, but how close the Rays came to asking for something else from the system before settling on Caminero. Xzavion Curry was among the minor leaguers Tampa Bay initially sought, and the fact that Caminero has developed into a top prospect while Myers and Curry have had quieter big league careers makes the trade look even harder to defend in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Schedule Change Created An Unusual MLB Playoff Ripple
MLBs postseason calendar picked up an odd little domino effect Wednesday, with the league moving Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers up an hour to 8 p.m. ET. The change did not come out of nowhere. It followed the earlier decision to shift ALCS Game 3 between the Guardians and Rays from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET because of expected inclement weather, a reminder of how one playoff adjustment can ripple across the rest of the bracket.
For Cleveland fans, the practical part is simple: the team confirmed that tickets and parking passes will still work for the new start time. The bigger picture is a postseason schedule that can still bend quickly around weather, TV and the rest of the leagues needs, even as the Guardians try to stay focused on the field rather than the clock. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Williams Is Giving Guardians Fans Another Reason To Believe
Gavin Williams has already done his share to fuel Clevelands October run, and now he is looking to add something else to the mix as the Guardians head into the next round. The young starting pitcher said he wants to be a more vocal leader as the club prepares for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, a sign of how quickly he has grown from power arm to one of the voices in the room.
Williams backed up that confidence with his latest outing, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the series-clinching win over the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland now turns to a Game 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays, set for 1 PM ET Thursday after a weather-related delay from the original 6 PM start, and the Guardians will be hoping their emerging starter brings the same edge both on the mound and in the clubhouse. [Read more 🡒]