One of the first problems the Tampa Bay Rays have to solve in the ALCS is Jose Ramirez.
That’s not a mystery to Rays All-Star pitcher Drew Rasmussen, who gets the Game 1 start Monday and sees exactly what the Guardians bring to the table when Ramirez is locked in.
“It’s crazy that we can probably all acknowledge he’s a top 10 player in the entire world, and yet, I think he’s the most underrated player in all of baseball,” Rasmussen said. “He is a one-of-a-kind talent that definitely alarms go off when you’re going into starting your scouting.”
Ramirez has spent plenty of time being overlooked, and the Guardians’ ALDS comeback against the Chicago White Sox put his name back in the brightest light. Cleveland’s rally was historic, but the bigger takeaway was a familiar one: Ramirez is still the kind of player who can take over a series when everything is on the line.
That wasn’t obvious at the start of the Division Series. Through the first two games, Ramirez looked stuck in a deep hole, going 0-for-6 with three strikeouts as Cleveland dropped both games at home and headed on the road needing to survive three straight elimination games.
Then he flipped the whole thing.
In Game 3, Ramirez jump-started Cleveland with a double, a steal of third and a run scored on a groundout before adding a two-run triple in a 9-3 win. Game 4 brought another punch, this time a two-run homer that helped lift the Guardians to a 9-5 victory and even the series.
By the time the scene shifted back to Progressive Field for Game 5, Ramirez had already changed the tone of the matchup. He delivered again with a two-run homer in the fourth inning, and that was enough for Cleveland’s pitching to finish off a 2-0 series-clinching win.
The late surge also quieted the recent postseason questions around him. Ramirez had drawn criticism for not living up to his usual level in October, going 9-for-40 over the previous two years. Now, after carrying the Guardians through the ALDS turnaround, he looks ready for another big stage.
Cleveland is trying to reach the World Series for the first time since 2016 and win its first championship since 1948, and Ramirez is right in the middle of that chase. If this run keeps rolling, his place in franchise history could climb even higher, along with his standing among the era’s top major league stars.
In Other News...
Guardians Face One ALCS Roster Choice That Could Shape This Series
With a seven-game battle against the Rays looming, Stephen Vogt is weighing one of those postseason roster calls that can quietly shape everything that follows. The Guardians are looking at whether to keep a deeper bench of position players or trim back toward a more traditional split between pitchers and hitters, a decision made more complicated by the grind of a long series and the need to cover every inning carefully.
Daniel Schneemanns spot is part of the conversation as the club searches for more right-handed punch, while the pitching side brings its own option if Cleveland wants another arm that can bridge multiple innings. Vogt does not have the luxury of treating this as a marginal choice, either, because the roster balance can affect late-game matchups, pinch-hit flexibility and how aggressively the Guardians can manage their bullpen over the next week. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Enter ALCS With One Huge Pitching Question
The American League Championship Series opens tomorrow in Tampa, and the matchup between the Rays and Guardians brings together two clubs built on pitching depth. Tampa Bay already has its Game 1 plan in place with Drew Rasmussen set to take the ball, while Cleveland is still sorting through its options after a five-game Division Series against the White Sox.
For the Guardians, the biggest decision is still hanging over the start of the series, and it could shape how they line up the rest of the rotation. Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Foster Griffin, Joey Cantillo and Tanner Bibee are all in the mix as Cleveland works through its choice, a reminder that even at this stage of October, the margin for error starts with the first pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Made One ALCS Roster Choice Fans Will Be Watching
With the American League Championship Series now set against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland adjusted its roster in a way that says plenty about how it sees this matchup unfolding. The Guardians brought in pitcher Slade Cecconi and left utilityman Daniel Schneeman off the ALCS group, a move that tilts the bench a little more toward arms as the series shifts into a deeper October grind.
Cecconi spent most of the season in the rotation, making 21 starts, but has recently been working in a relief role and figures to give Cleveland another option out of the bullpen if this turns into a longer battle. Schneeman had already been absent from the ALDS games, and his omission here underscores how much roster flexibility matters once the games become compressed and every spot has to serve a very specific purpose. [Read more 🡒]