CLEVELAND, Ohio — José Ramírez started to look more like the José Ramírez everybody expects to see on Tuesday when he launched a solo home run to right field off Luke Weaver in Yankee Stadium during his final at-bat.
Cleveland fans hope that version of José Ramírez sticks around for a while.
The Guardians will lean on Ramírez, their six-time All-Star third baseman, to drive an offense that has been starved for big hits in clutch situations as Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against New York gets underway Thursday at Progressive Field.
Manager Stephen Vogt said Ramírez is always up to the challenge.
“We’ve talked about it all year,” Vogt said. “He’s one of the best players in the league. If there’s anybody I’m confident in coming out (in Game 3) ready to go, it’s going to be Josey. He’s been our best player all year, and he continues to be.”
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Ramírez hit .326 with 72 RBI during the regular season in 144 at-bats with runners in scoring position. He is a career .263 hitter in 547 at-bats with two out and runners in scoring position, and a .298 hitter in 1,136 high-leverage plate appearances, according to Baseball Reference.
But during Cleveland’s playoff run, Ramírez has garnered the kind of attention from opposing pitchers befitting a superstar of his caliber. So far this postseason, Ramírez is batting .167 with two home runs and four RBI with a .768 OPS in 24 at-bats. He has walked four times, but three of those have been intentional walks issued by opponents.
He is hitting .077 against starting pitchers and .273 against relievers, and is 1 for 7 (.143) with a strikeout in 10 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.
Vogt said Ramírez’s ability to regularly come through in clutch situations has created an expectation whenever he steps to the plate that something good is going to happen. That kind of pressure can be unfair, but Vogt said Ramírez created his own high standards with consistently brilliant play.
“Josey just needs to be himself,” Vogt said. “We all expect him to get the big hit every single time he gets up there, but he’s done that to himself.”
Vogt said, if anything, Ramírez probably embraces the responsibility to be “the guy” too much.
“Anytime you’re around an elite player like that, they want the moment,” Vogt said. “They want to be the guy, and they thrive on that. We saw it all year, Josey has done that. He’s stepped up huge for us in big situations, and I expect nothing less.”
Ramírez hit .293 with three home runs, eight RBI and a .947 OPS in 41 career at-bats against Cleveland’s Game 3 starter Matthew Boyd before Boyd joined the Guardians this season.
The veteran left-hander said when you face somebody from 60 feet away for your whole career, you tend to build up narratives about the guy in your mind. Some are true, and some are not.
“The coolest thing about Josey is the way he shows up ready to play every day,” Boyd said. “The guy is a gamer. Doesn’t matter how he feels. He’s the same guy every single day.”
José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians.MLB Photos via Getty Images
Boyd said seeing Ramírez work from across the field gives a different vibe. In the clubhouse, where Boyd’s locker is right next to Ramírez’s, he sees firsthand why Ramírez is described with words like “spark plug” and “leader.”
“When the game is on the line, he’s the guy you want in the box with the ball going his way,” Boyd said. “Because you know he’s always going to make a big play.”