CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez knew when he was 15 years old and growing up in the Dominican Republic that he could end up being a pretty good home-run hitter.
Cleveland's All-Star third baseman has been better than good as he set another franchise record on Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins.
Ramírez's line drive over the right-field wall in the eighth inning was his second of the night and his 27th multihome run game, surpassing Jim Thome and Albert Belle for the most in franchise history.
The solo shot also gave the Guardians a 4-3 victory.
Ramírez's accomplishment was flashed on the scoreboard at Progressive Field before the ninth inning as he ran to third base. He got a standing ovation from the 21,874 fans.
“It felt good. Obviously it’s not easy to play the game and it’s not an easy thing to do,” he said through an interpreter. “But the important part is that we won and most importantly, I want to win. So that’s the real feeling at the end.”
After a 10-game losing streak had them at 40-48, the Guardians have gone an AL-best 22-8 since July 7 and are only one game out of the final wild-card spot.
“It always feels like he’s going to deliver. Anytime he’s up at any point in the game, you make sure you’re watching,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “Such a special night for him and his family.”
Ramírez's 27 multihomer games since entering the majors on Sept. 1, 2013, are tied for eighth-most in the majors according to Sportradar. Yankees' slugger Aaron Judge, who made his big-league debut in 2016, has the most with 44.
“He’s our dad taking care of us. He’s putting his team on the back doing what he does,” All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan said. “I mean, people don’t have 54 homers in their whole career and he is doing it and obviously 27 games, which is just crazy. It’s special.”
Ramírez was 2 for 25 on the Guardians' six-game road trip and broke out of a 0-for-12 skid when he drove a low changeup from Miami starter Janson Junk into the stands in right-center to put Cleveland up 1-0 in the first inning.
Of his 25 homers this season, 13 have come with two out, which is third in the majors.
On Aug. 1, Ramírez became the first major league player who primarily plays third base to have at least 275 home runs and 275 stolen bases. Besides multihomer games, he holds the Cleveland franchise records for career home runs by a third baseman (230) and career home runs by a switch hitter.
“I knew maybe I don’t have the power, but I have quick hands and fast hands when hitting. So I knew I had to learn how to hit homers. I knew I could. I just needed time to learn how to execute it,” Ramírez said about growing up.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Joe Reedy, The Associated Press
