One of the more interesting aspects of the Cleveland Guardians reaching the American League Championship Series is that they did it without their beloved franchise player shining.
José Ramirez’s 2.6 bWAR during the regular season ranked eighth on the team. The third baseman hit just .235/.320/.368 with 12 home runs and 37 stolen bases in 125 games. Except for the steals, the stats were well below the norm for a switch-hitter who has been a seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger winner over his 14-season career.
Yet the Guardians rallied in September to win their third straight AL Central title by one game over the White Sox. Cleveland then won the final three games to beat Chicago in a five-game ALDS.
Now the Guardians are one step away from their first World Series berth since 1948 as they get set to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS. Game 1 is on Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
José Ramirez is heating up
Ramirez has finally gotten hot after a season interrupted by hand surgery. His two-run home run helped the Guardians win 2-0 over the White Sox on Saturday night in Game 5 in Cleveland.
The always-smiling, sometimes-quirky Ramirez went 5 for 12 with two doubles, two homers, and seven RBIs in the last three games of the series, helping the Guardians become the fourth team to win an LDS after losing the first two games at home.
“It was like we got our backs against the wall and he said, ‘all right, I got you,’ and that's what he's been doing for this franchise long before I got here,” Guardians third-year manager Stephen Vogt said. “And he's been through a lot this year. We've been through a lot this year, and we cannot wait to play (in the ALCS), and I can't wait to keep watching José Ramírez do what he does.”
This year, the Guardians have shown they can still win even without elite production from the 34-year-old Ramírez. Yet it is undeniable that the Guardians are better when he is playing at a high level.
“He raises the energy,” Vogt said. “He raises the belief, and I've been able to watch him for only three years. I know everybody in Cleveland has watched it for a long time, but that's what big time players do. That's what Hall of Famers do.”
Is Ramirez a Hall of Famer? He may not be a lock for Cooperstown just yet, but he has a strong case with 1,779 career hits, 297 home runs, 1,002 RBIs, and 324 stolen bases.
Ramirez is healthy again
However, that argument is for another day because Cleveland’s focus now is on trying to win the World Series. Ramirez is also beginning to gain strength in his left hand after missing 30 games in June and July following surgery for a broken hamate bone.
The regenerating strength showed in Game 5 when, batting left-handed, Ramirez golfed a knuckle curve from Sean Burke that was just nine inches above the plate over the right-field fence. The homer accounted for the game’s runs, but that was all the Guardians needed as Gavin Williams and three relievers pitched combined on a three-hit shutout while setting an MLB record for a nine-inning game with 21 strikeouts.
“José is José. We all love him,” Williams said. “He always has that one moment all the time. We know what he's going to do.”
Ramirez certainly knows everything that comes with October. He has appeared in eight postseasons and 50 games during the Guardians’ eight playoff appearances over 11 seasons.
So, Ramirez appreciated hitting a series-winning home run.
“In the playoffs, it's a different nature,” Ramirez said. “That's going to happen in those games, and sometimes you are going to be against the wall and come back, but also if you don't do your things, you might lose.
“I have been lucky to have a lot of opportunities in sports, and I know this is what we try to do and have fun. And I knew that we would have the chance to turn things around, and that's where gradually we were able to do.”
The only thing Ramirez hasn’t done is win a World Series. If the Guardians can end their 78-year title drought, the longest active one in MLB, Ramirez would cement his legacy even deeper in franchise lore.
“He's Cleveland baseball,” Vogt said. “He chose multiple times throughout his career to stay here. He loves this city. He loves this franchise. He loves his teammates. José means everything to this city, and I'm just happy that I get to watch him play every night.”
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