José Ramírez didn’t just help Cleveland grab Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. He also used the moment to remind everyone why the relationship between him and the city runs so deep.
After going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in the Guardians’ 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night at Tropicana Field, Ramírez joined the TBS postgame show with his interpreter beside him and opened up about what Cleveland means to him.
“Cleveland’s everything to me. When nobody wanted to give me a chance, they gave me a chance. I’ve said this countless of times, this is the place that I love, and they love me back,” Ramírez said.
He repeated the same idea in a more concise way as well: "This is the place that I love, and they love me back."
That kind of loyalty has defined the entire relationship. Cleveland signed Ramírez out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager, and he wasn’t viewed as a can’t-miss type when he entered the system.
He climbed through the minors, reached the majors in 2013, and developed into one of baseball’s best players. When free agency was there for the taking, he stayed put, signing a long-term extension in 2022 with the only organization he has ever played for.
As Stephen Vogt put it recently, Ramírez is Cleveland baseball.
This October has only deepened that bond. Ramírez struggled through the regular season after undergoing surgery on the hamate bone in his left hand in June, ending the year with just twelve home runs and his worst offensive numbers in more than a decade.
But once the Guardians were staring at elimination against the White Sox, he flipped the script. He homered in back-to-back elimination games, becoming the first player in franchise history to do that, and his two-run blast in Game 5 sent Cleveland to the ALCS.
He stayed hot against the Rays. Ramírez started the eighth-inning rally that put Cleveland ahead with his second infield hit of the night, then added a bloop single to left in the ninth for a two-run cushion.
He also dove back into first to avoid being picked off before scoring on Jo Adell’s double. Across his last four postseason games, he is 8-for-17 with two homers, six runs scored and eight RBIs.
What makes the stretch even more striking is that Cleveland does not expect Ramírez to be fully healthy until next season. He has had to manage the hand for months, but in October he’s looked every bit like the player Guardians fans have known for more than a decade.
Cleveland’s win pushed its postseason winning streak to four games, the club’s longest since the 2016 team won six straight on the way to the World Series. The Guardians lead the best-of-seven series 1-0, with Game 2 coming Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Parker Messick will start for Cleveland against Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta.
In Other News...
Cade Smith Is Giving Cleveland A Bullpen Edge And A Real Debate
Cade Smith has become one of the Guardians most valuable bullpen pieces this October, and not just because of the results. He has appeared in all six playoff games, worked in a range of late-game spots for Stephen Vogt, and generally given Cleveland the kind of steady, high-leverage relief work that can swing a series. Hunter Gaddis has been part of that same bridge out of the bullpen, helping keep opponents from getting comfortable once the game gets into the final innings.
Smiths role has also created a real discussion inside the postseason script Cleveland is writing. He has only one save, which says plenty about how Vogt has deployed him and how flexible the Guardians have tried to be with their best arms. For a club trying to survive tight playoff baseball, the bullpen edge matters, and Smith is making sure Cleveland has one even as the debate over how to label that job keeps growing. [Read more 🡒]
Nathaniel Lowe Is Showing Cleveland Why This Deadline Bet Mattered
Nathaniel Lowe arrived in Cleveland just before the August 3 trade deadline as part of a move that told you plenty about how the Guardians wanted to finish the season. Mike Chernoff pointed to Lowes offense and the way he could fit into the clubhouse, and since then the veteran has given the team exactly the kind of steady presence a contender hopes to add without much fuss.
Lowes value has shown up in the biggest spots, including Game 1 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, where his RBI work helped keep Cleveland in the conversation early. For a club that made the bet to bring him in for this stretch, every timely swing only reinforces why the deadline deal mattered. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Let A Winnable ALCS Game Slip At The Worst Time
Cleveland had a chance to take firm control of the American League Championship Series, but Game 2 slipped away in a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. The Guardians had played themselves into a position where every small edge mattered, and for much of the night it looked like they might carry one back home with them before the game turned in a hurry.
Jose Ramirezs throwing error in the fourth inning opened the door to three unearned Rays runs, a costly lapse in a game Cleveland could not afford to waste. The series now shifts to Progressive Field tied 1-1, with the next three games set for Cleveland and the margin for error already feeling smaller than ever. [Read more 🡒]