José Ramírez gave Cleveland another October-sized swing Friday night, driving a ball into the right-field seats at Progressive Field for the 1,000th RBI of his career.
The sixth-inning homer, his 297th in the majors, helped the Guardians open their three-game set against the Athletics with a third consecutive victory. Cleveland moved to 79-75, still chasing the White Sox in the division race.
Quick facts
- Ramírez reached 1,000 career RBIs with a sixth-inning home run against the A’s.
- His 297th career homer traveled an estimated 401 feet with a 102.4 mph exit velocity.
- He and Earl Averill, who drove in 1,084 runs, are the only Cleveland players to reach 1,000 RBIs.
- Cleveland is 79-75 and has won three straight games.
- The White Sox owned the tiebreaker entering Friday after taking the season series.
For Ramírez, who turned 34 on Thursday, the milestone places him among 12 active big leaguers with at least 1,000 RBIs. The group includes Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado, Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana, Bryce Harper, Salvador Perez, Mike Trout and Eugenio Suárez.
The Guardians need to finish ahead of Chicago in the win column to capture a third straight Central title. With the clubs level in the standings before Friday, the White Sox held the edge through the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Ramírez’s power stroke had been quiet by his standards. The blast was his first home run since Aug. 30 and only his 12th of the season. He carried a .683 OPS through 117 games in a year disrupted by left hamate surgery.
He missed five weeks and returned from the injured list on July 22, continuing to manage the effects of the procedure. But the familiar finish was there in the sixth: Ramírez leaned back in the left-handed box, watched the ball head toward right field, and gave Cleveland the kind of moment its stretch run requires.
