CLEVELAND -- The 1-1 cutter that José Ramírez got from Dodgers starter Dustin May in the fourth inning on Tuesday was letter-high and slightly on the inner half of the plate. Ramírez stayed on the pitch and muscled it into center field for a base hit.
Ramírez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday’s 9-5 loss. The single was his 1,561st career hit, tied with Ken Keltner for eighth in franchise history, and extended his hitting streak to 20 games.
“It doesn't matter what the situation is,” said second baseman Daniel Schneemann, who plated Ramírez in the fourth with a three-run homer. “Any time of the game, he's going to play hard, and that's what we do as a team. We try to emulate that. When he goes, we go.”
Ramírez lives up to Schneemann’s scouting report night in and night out, and that was evident on Tuesday. Los Angeles was ahead, 4-0, when the 32-year-old led off the fourth with his single off May. Ramírez took off for second base two pitches later and recorded his 14th stolen base of the season with a headfirst dive.
Though Ramírez ultimately came around moments later on Schneemann's big swing, he didn’t take anything for granted and got himself into scoring position. An even better example of that came in the ninth.
Max Muncy broke open the game with a three-run homer in the top half of the inning. With the Guardians down 9-3, Ramírez led off the bottom half with a chopper to first baseman Freddie Freeman. Even with his club down by six, Ramírez booked it down the line, and he reached safely on an error by pitcher Luis García -- who dropped Freeman’s toss to the bag.
“Hosey’s one of the most consistent players in the big leagues,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He brings it every single day. You saw it in the ninth inning. We’re down six and he gets [on base], beats the pitcher to first base. He never quits.
“You see a lot of players -- even big-time players -- they hit that ball down six, they're going to Cadillac it to first. Not Hosey. The game's not over until there's 27 outs. He's the epitome of what a baseball player is supposed to be, what a superstar is supposed to be. Hosey plays the game the right way.”
After reaching on the error, Ramírez advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Gabriel Arias double. He’s slashing .380/.437/.646 over his hitting streak, with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs and 11 RBIs. He’s walked seven times and has only eight strikeouts. He’s stolen eight bases.
Of course those are eye-popping numbers, but the Guardians also have a front-row seat to the work that Ramírez puts in each day and have almost come to expect big performances from him.
“I see how he comes and prepares every single day and how he comes to the park,” center fielder Angel Martínez said. “Hosey gives everything he’s got every single day, so I know he’s capable of doing it.”
Martínez, who was promoted from Triple-A Columbus on April 9, has talked this season about the example that Ramírez sets and how important it is for him as a young player. Martínez is only 23 years old and knows he has a great player to learn from across the clubhouse.
“I've been playing the game since I was a kid,” Martínez said. “But being around him, he’s probably the best example that I can get to learn, to keep developing at this level.”
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, who was charged with four runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings, put Ramírez’s streak succinctly.
“It's impressive to see every day,” Bibee said. “He shows up every day and he's ready to go.”