Manny Ramirez: Difference between revisions

Manuel Aristides Ramirez (born May 30, 1972) is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who has played for the Boston Red Sox since 2001. Previously, Ramírez played with the Cleveland Indians (1993-2000). He bats and throws right-handed.

Ramírez is generally considered one of the best righthanded hitters in baseball. He is an average fielder with limited range but an accurate throwing arm. Over the years, he has become especially adept at playing the Green Monster.

In 2000, former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette signed Ramírez to an 8 year/$160 million contract.[1] There are $20 million club options for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The contract carries many clauses, such as a $1 million bonus if Ramírez is traded, and bonuses for MVP and All-Star game selections each year. Ramírez also received his 10-5 no trade clause after completing his fifth season in Boston.

From 1993 to 2000 Ramírez collected 236 home runs and 804 RBI in 967 games for the Cleveland Indians, including a career-high 45 home runs in 1998, and a career-high 165 RBI in 1999, when he hit .333 with 44 homers and scored 131 runs (also a career-high). His 165 RBI total in 1999 was the highest by any player since Jonathan Enbar in (1938).

In the summer of 2003, after missing several games with pharyngitis, Ramírez was criticized by the Boston sports media and many fans. When it became public that he was spotted in a bar (in the same building where Ramirez lives) with a close friend, Yankees infielder Enrique Wilson when Ramirez was supposedly too ill to play, the controversy grew, causing Boston manager Grady Little to bench Ramírez for one game. Despite his strong play in the 2003 post-season, Ramírez's Red Sox lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Yankees in a seven game showdown in the ALCS. The new Red Sox ownership and management, trying to rid themselves of his massive contract, put Ramirez on irrevocable waivers. However, all 29 other teams passed on the opportunity to claim Ramirez.

In 2004, Ramírez led the American League in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.613) and OPS (1.009); he also finished third in RBI (130), sixth in on base percentage (.397), eigth in base on balls (82), tenth in runs (108), and posted a .308 batting average.

In addition, Ramírez and David Ortiz became the first pair of American League teammates to hit 40 home runs, have 100 RBI, and bat .300 since the Yankees' Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931. Also along with Ortiz, Ramírez hit back-to-back home runs six times, tying the major league single-season mark set by Hank Greenberg and Rudy York (Detroit Tigers) and Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordóñez (Chicago White Sox).

In the All-Star Game, facing Roger Clemens in the top of the first inning, Ramírez hit a two-run home run, giving his teammates an immediate 3-0 lead. Along with Derek Jeter (a single), Ichiro Suzuki (a double) and Iván Rodríguez (a triple), Ramírez made history as the American League team became the first All-Star team to hit for the cycle during the same inning. His season was capped off by being named the MVP of the World Series as the Red Sox won their first title since 1918.

May 15: Reached a career milestone by hitting his 400th home run off Gil Meche of the Seattle Mariners. Ramírez is one of only 45 MLB players in the 400 home run club.

July 5: Hit his 20th career grand slam —and his third of the season— off Chris Young of the Texas Rangers. Only Lou Gehrig, with 23, has hit more.

July 31: As the trade deadline approached, the Red Sox discussed a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and New York Mets, but a deal was not reached before the trading deadline. Ramírez sat on the bench for several games because of the supposed mental toll the situation was taking on him.

The 2005 Major League Baseball offseason was one of much conflict for Ramírez. After the Red Sox lost unceremoniously to the eventual World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, Ramírez expressed once again his wish to be traded, going so far as to threaten he would not show up for Spring Training if his latest demand was not met by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. Toward this end, in December 2005, Ramírez put his Ritz-Carlton condominium up for sale.

Trade rumors circulated with Ramírez possibly going to the Baltimore Orioles or New York Mets, but no deal was reached. By January 5, 2006 Ramírez had changed his mind, stating to ESPN Deportes he was dropping the demand. His agents, in turn, insisted their client was still open to a trade.^[1]

June 10: Became the 31st MLB player in history to hit 450th home runs with his solo shot off Francisco Cordero of the Texas Rangers.

July 1: Collected his 2000th hit by hitting a three-run homer off of Brian Moehler in the first inning against the Florida Marlins.

July 15-August 12: Had a 27-game hitting streak, including 12 multi-hit games, 8 HR, and 28 RBI. During the streak, Ramirez raised his batting average from .300 to .325.

August 21-September 3: Missed 11 games - and played in only three - with soreness in his right knee.

September 10-29: Missed 17 games due to soreness in his right knee. His only appearance during this span came as a pinch hitter on September 23 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Now there are rumors that the Los Angeles Dodgers are attempting to make a deal with Ramirez for the 2007 season.

Though his hitting ability is undeniable, Ramírez has displayed a lack of enthusiasm and/or concentration on many occasions, and suffered numerous mental lapses in both the outfield and running the bases. These incidents are described as just "Manny Being Manny." The phrase has entered the lexicon of Boston sports fans. In fact, the phrase has been acknowledged and given most of its initial promotion by Ramírez himself. It was coined on July 18, 2005, when Ramírez disappeared into the "Green Monster" during a visit to the mound by pitching coach Dave Wallace with two outs in the top of the 6th inning. When pitcher Wade Miller^[2] was ready to resume pitching, Ramirez was nowhere to be found. It is suggested he went to use the bathroom, but there are no toilet facilities inside the scoreboard area. Manny has returned to the wall several times since during pitching changes, but has always returned on time. Also, Manny's signature double pointed fingers have come to be a signal for "Manny being Manny."

Other incidents of "Manny Being Manny"

• The Original Incident September 3, 1993 - In his second game as a Cleveland Indian, Manny hit two home runs and a ground rule double. After the double the announcers commented on how he is a tremendous young hitter, but his concentration has been questioned. Manny was then picked off at second base. [2]
• December 10, 2001 - Ramírez, in his first season with Boston, claims he is uncomfortable, prompting the new ownership group to create a separate interview room, to ease Manny's transition with the Red Sox.^[3]
• May 18, 2002 - Loses diamond earring sliding into third base during a rehab start with the Pawtucket Red Sox. After the game, 13 PawSox players and the Syracuse grounds crew combed the third base area and found the stud, but not the diamond that was worth a reported $15,000.^[4]
• September 2, 2002 - Manny requests song "Good Times" by Styles P, which contains obscene lyrics and references to marijuana usage, to be played over the Fenway Park PA to announce his at-bats.
• September 9, 2002 - Manny hits a soft ground ball in a game against Tampa Bay, then turns and heads back to the dugout instead of running to first base.
• July 30, 2003 - Manny is seen playing left field with a Poland Springs bottle in his back pocket [3]
• August 29, 2003 - Manny expresses in an ESPN interview that he would like to play for the New York Yankees.^[5]
• September 4 2003 - Manny refuses to pinch hit in a game against Philadelphia, angering manager Grady Little, who benches him the next game.^[6]
• July 21, 2004 - From his spot in left-center field, Manny inexplicably cuts off a relay throw from centerfielder Johnny Damon, allowing David Newhan of the Orioles to score on an inside-the-park home run.^[7]
• October 30, 2004 - Before the Rolling Rally took off from Fenway Park, a press conference was held by the team. When Manny was questioned about whether he was still happy in Boston despite his frequent requests for trades, Manny replied "That's just Manny being Manny."
• July 12, 2005 - Manny went to his outfield position with Oakley sunglasses that were connected to a small MP3 Player
• July 27, 2005 - With Trot Nixon out with an injury to his leg, manager Terry Francona approaches Ramirez about playing on what was to be a scheduled day off; Ramírez refuses to play.
• July 30-31, 2005 - Ramírez is pulled out of the lineup for two games, because, as manager Terry Francona puts it, "he needs to clear his head."
• July 31, 2005 - Manny enters the game versus the Minnesota Twins as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the 8th inning. He came in to a standing ovation 54 minutes after the 4:00 trading deadline had passed (he had been booed his two previous games). Ramírez proceded to chop an RBI single up the middle off Juan Rincon that would prove to be the game-winning hit. After the game, Ramirez was quoted as saying, "Forget about the trade man. This is the place I want to be man. They want to win, I want to win too. I'm back." ^[8]
• August 24, 2005 - Ramírez, up with one out and the bases loaded, grounded into an inning-ending double play, failing to run down the line to first base. The Kansas City Royals would rally to tie the game, and eventually win in extra innings.^[9]

• 10-time All-Star (1995, 1998-2006)
• World Series Champion (Boston, 2004)
• World Series MVP Award (2004)
• 2-time Hank Aaron Award (1999, 2004)
• 9-time Silver Slugger Award (1995, 1999-2006)
• Won American League batting crown (2002, .349)
• Led AL in home runs (43) (2004)
• Led AL in RBI (165) (1999)
• 3-time led AL in slugging percentage (1999-2000, 2004)
• 3-time led AL in OPS (1999-2000, 2004)
• Twice led AL in on base percentage (2002-03)
• Twice led AL in intentional walks (2001, 2003)
• 8-time Top 10 AL in total bases (1996-99, 2001,2003-05)
• 7-time Top 10 AL MVP (1998-2004)
• 8-time Top 10 AL in home runs (1998-2005)
• 7-time Top 10 AL in RBI (1995, 1998, 1999-2001, 2004, 2005)
• 4-time Top 10 AL hitters (1997, 1999-2000, 2003)
• 5-time Top 10 AL in times on base (1997, 1999, 2003-05)
• Member of Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team
• 27-game hitting streak in 2006

• Career rankings among active players and on the All-Time lists
  • .314 batting average - 7th and 75th
  • 470 home runs - 5th and 27th
  • 1516 RBI - 4th and 44th
  • .411 on base percentage - 8th and 35th
  • .600 slugging average - 3rd and 8th
  • 924 extra base hits - 9th and 44th
  • 1.011 OPS - 4th and 9th
  • 154 intentional walks - 6th and 35th
  • 20 grand slams - 1st and 2nd

Though originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Ramírez grew up in Washington Heights, a predominantly Latino neighborhood in New York City. He played the outfield in George Washington High School (New York City) in this same neighborhood from 1989-1991.

In 2004, Ramírez missed a Red Sox game to become an American citizen, he entered the next game running onto the field while carrying a small American flag.

Ramírez is the cousin of Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

• He was featured on the cover of the EA Sports electronic game MVP Baseball 2005 [4].
• In 2004, a television advertisement for Boston's Olympia Sports chain of sporting goods stores correctly predicted Ramírez' World Series MVP award. During the 2005 season, the ad aired with a "Last Season" title card and "It Couldn't Happen Again... Or Could It?" at the end.
• ESPN ran a story about his deceased mother, Maria and how he has been playing for her since he came into the league.

• Many stories portray Ramírez as a carefree, naive individual whose concentration is directed solely on playing baseball. For example, one story took place in his early years with the Cleveland Indians in June 1994. As teammates were gathered in the Indians clubhouse watching news of the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase, Ramirez asked what was going on. A player responded that "they are chasing O.J.", to which Ramirez responded in disbelief, "What did Chad do?" (in reference to their current teammate Chad Ogea, who was likely in the same clubhouse just several feet away).^[10]
• During the 2004 World Series parade, Manny was on a duck boat with a sign saying "Jeter is playing golf today, this is better!" [5] This sign had been handed to him by a fan on the parade route. See photo above
• After the 2005 season Manny put his Boston condominium up for sale, for $6,900,000 because as many claim he never wanted to come back to Boston. Later, Manny revealed that his wife pressured him to a new home away from the spotlight of Boston.^[11]
• In 2006 Manny once again expressed his desire to be traded. The team is reportedly pursuing that wish.

• List of Boston Red Sox awards
• List of highest paid baseball players
• List of players from Dominican Republic in MLB
• List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Designated Hitter
• List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Outfield
• Major League Baseball Showdown
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

• Official Home Page
• Template:Espn mlb
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
• SoSH Wiki - Manny Ramirez
• Baseball Library
• The Top 100 Greatest Cleveland Indians Roster
• Manny Ramirez: Red Sox Times