Jose Ramirez has never hidden how much Cleveland means to him, and this week he made sure that message came through loud and clear again.
After a season that included about a month on the shelf while he recovered from surgery on his left hand, Ramirez has still managed to keep reaching important markers. One of the biggest came when he became just the second player in franchise history to reach 1,000 career RBI. Even with the physical setbacks and the grind of getting back into rhythm during the stretch run, his appreciation for the fan base has stayed front and center.
When Andre Knott asked him what it meant to have Cleveland fans stand by him through a tough year physically, Ramirez didn’t need long to answer.
“I say it all the time, fans of Cleveland are the best,” Ramirez said.
That wasn’t a one-off line, either. Ramirez has repeated that sentiment throughout his time in Cleveland, and that consistency is part of why it resonates.
This isn’t a player tossing out a polite answer for the moment. It’s something he has clearly meant for a long time, and he has made that much obvious again and again.
The timing matters, too. Cleveland is battling for a third straight AL Central title, and every gesture of support and appreciation feels a little bigger in a race like this.
Ramirez missed time because of the hand surgery, and there were stretches when he simply couldn’t be out there helping on the field. The fans stayed with him anyway, and his response showed he noticed.
That sense of gratitude has been a theme for him all season. Ramirez has consistently framed his role in terms of appreciation, both for the chance to keep performing at a high level and for the people who keep backing him.
He has already given this fan base plenty over the years. This week, he made it clear the feeling is mutual.
In Other News...
Guardians Could Have A Few Surprise Arms Waiting For October
As the Guardians settle into the stretch run, they have opened a stay hot camp at Triple-A Columbus for players on the 40-man roster who are not currently in Cleveland, along with a few other minor leaguers. It is a practical move for a club thinking ahead to October, giving potential call-ups a chance to keep working in a game-like setting while the big league roster remains locked in on the regular season finish.
The camp includes several pitchers and hitters, and some are still working back from injuries, which keeps the door open for postseason possibilities if the Guardians need extra depth. Pitching is the area most likely to be adjusted, and the organization is using Columbus as a holding pattern for arms that could become relevant quickly once the playoff picture sharpens. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Now Know What This Clase Trial Really Hinges On
Federal prosecutors have narrowed the focus in the Emmanuel Clase case, identifying 18 specific pitches they say were thrown intentionally to help bettors who had paid bribes. The new court filing arrives ahead of the Cleveland Guardians closers November trial and gives the case a much clearer shape, centering the dispute on a set of pitches rather than the broad allegations that first surfaced around the gambling scheme.
Clase and former teammate Luis Ortiz are both charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering in connection with a plot that prosecutors say brought bettors more than $460,000. Both players have pleaded not guilty and remain suspended by Major League Baseball, leaving the Guardians and their fans to watch a criminal case that now appears to hinge on those pitch-by-pitch allegations. [Read more 🡒]
Stephen Vogts Postgame Message Says Everything About Clevelands Stretch Run
The Guardians finished off a three-game sweep of the Athletics and, with it, kept their grip on first place in the AL Central heading into the final week. It was the kind of late-season series Cleveland has needed all year, not because it solved everything, but because it let the club keep stacking wins while the pressure around the standings keeps rising.
Stephen Vogts postgame message fit the moment. With six games left and a trip to face the Red Sox next, he kept steering the conversation back to the same place the Guardians have tried to live all season, one day at a time, instead of chasing magic numbers or looking too far ahead. It is a simple approach, but for a team still trying to close out its stretch run, it might be the one that matters most. [Read more 🡒]