Amid the American League wild-card race, Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez made team history in a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ramirez went 1-for-4 with an RBI triple in the sixth inning. That RBI was the 938th of his career, all with the Cleveland Guardians. It broke the tie for second place on Cleveland's all-time RBI list, passing slugger Jim Thome. Ramirez now trails Hall of Famer Earl Averill by 146 RBIs for the franchise lead.
Following the game, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt had plenty of praise for Ramirez, saying: “Hosey is going to keep doing this, right? He’s going to keep doing this as long as he’s in Cleveland. He’s one of the best players on the planet. It’s just so much fun and a treat that we all get to watch him.”
Despite a slow start, Ramirez has turned in another strong season for Cleveland, as he seemingly does every year. Ramirez has produced 3 WAR or more in every season since 2016, excluding the shortened 2020 season. This year, he has 5 WAR, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and 37 stolen bases while batting .283.
That type of excellence has been sustained by Ramirez over the course of his career, finishing top-10 in MVP voting seven times in 13 seasons. Four of these seven seasons were top-five MVP finishes, including runner-up honors in 2020.
Although the Guardians are currently on the outside of the playoff picture, a player of Ramírez’s caliber is certainly capable of leading them into October.