José Ramírez Provides Early Offensive Spark for Cleveland Guardians in Epic Duel with Chase Anderson
In the early stages of Thursday’s matchup against the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians’ designated hitter José Ramírez ignited his team’s offense in a thrilling showdown with pitcher Chase Anderson.
Anderson had already conceded a solo home run to Will Brennan earlier in the inning, and he found himself in a precarious situation after loading the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
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With two outs, it was up to Ramírez to seize the opportunity presented by Anderson’s struggles, but the seasoned right-hander proved to be a formidable adversary.
Ramírez patiently watched three consecutive balls to start the at-bat, only for Anderson to battle back, bringing the count to a full 3-2 with a called strike and a swinging strike. Despite Anderson’s resilience, Ramírez refused to yield, fouling off the next four pitches—all cutters.
Finally, Ramírez connected with a cutter down the middle and launched it 384 feet to right field, securing a grand slam and propelling the Guardians to a commanding 5-0 lead.
This impressive feat marked the fourth occasion in Ramírez’s career that he concluded a 10-plus-pitch at-bat with a home run, establishing a franchise record for the Cleveland Guardians dating back to pitch counts being tracked in 1988. The only other player in team history to achieve this multiple times is Casey Blake, who accomplished it twice.
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According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, only three MLB players have accomplished this feat more frequently since 1988. Colorado Rockies Hall of Famer Todd Helton leads the pack with eight occurrences, followed by Paul Konerko with seven and Paul Goldschmidt with six.
Ramírez’s stellar performance adds to his impressive season statistics, as he currently boasts a .260 batting average with five home runs, 23 RBI, two stolen bases, and a .742 OPS. Over his career, the 31-year-old third baseman has maintained a .278 batting average with 221 home runs, 769 RBI, 204 stolen bases, and an .852 OPS.
As the Guardians maintain a 6-4 lead over the Red Sox through seven innings, they aim to secure their league-leading 18th win of the season.
