Manny Ramirez said something crazy when he stopped by the NESN TV booth during Monday night’s matchup between the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park.
Ramirez, who was honored as a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame before the game, said that New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter would have been “just a regular player” if he’d spent his career with the Kansas City Royals.
Now, before Yankees fans start getting their pitchforks and torches out, there is some logic and context to the statement. It stems from a conversation that Ramirez had in the booth with former Red Sox players Kevin Millar and Dennis Eckersley.
Ramirez was discussing the pressure that comes with playing in a city like Boston or New York. The way Ramirez sees it, you’re not playing on a big stage unless you’re in Boston or New York. If you’re somewhere else, people won’t care as much.
“You gotta understand this. If you haven’t played in Boston or New York, you’re not in the big leagues,” Ramirez said. “It’s like if you put Jeter in Kansas City in those years, he was just a regular player.
But in New York? Jeter was a legend because he consistently stepped up on baseball’s biggest stage with the Yankees in the postseason.
“You put him on that big stage, you hit .400 in the postseason for many, many years, he’s the greatest in the history,” Millar said.
“He’s the greatest,” Ramirez said in agreement.
Eckersley noted that Boston is a “tough place to play,” a statement that Ramirez agreed with. However, Ramirez noted that playing in front of the passionate fans in Boston is what made him step up his game to the next level.
“It makes you better,” Ramirez said. “Because you’ve got to be ready. Because they will let you know. They will let you know when you’re not right. To be honest with you, when I was with Cleveland, I was playing and I was a good player. But when I came to Boston. I got better because the fans, they will let you know that you wasn’t playing right. They push you.”
As for Jeter, Ramirez’s statement focused more on how he would have been perceived across the league if he played in a smaller market. The longtime Yankees captain may have gotten some help from New York fans to into a couple of his 14 All-Star Games. However, he’s a five-time Silver Slugger winner and has the sixth-most hits in MLB history.
Even in Kansas City, he probably would’ve gotten his name out.