José Ramírez's homer in 8th inning leads Guardians to 3
CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez homered with two outs in the eighth inning,éRamí sending the Cleveland Guardians to a 3-2 win on Friday night over the Minnesota Twins in a game featuring the first infield shift violation this season.
Ramírez connected for his 10th homer on a 2-1 pitch from Jhoan Duran (0-1), driving it into the seats in right field to delight a Progressive Field crowd that came out to see Cleveland’s new uniforms and fireworks.
It was the 226th career homer for Ramírez, moving him into a tie for fourth in club history with Hall of Famer Earl Averill. Only Jim Thome (337), Albert Belle (242) and Manny Ramirez (236) have more.
“I am running out of adjectives to describe him,” Guardians first-year manager Stephen Vogt said of his All-Star third baseman. “You have to just kind of smile and laugh sometimes. Like, are you kidding me?