José Ramírez surpasses Jim Thome and moves into second place in RBIs for Cleveland

Tampa.— Dominican José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians. With a triple-driving in the sixth inning of the 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, Ramírez reached 938 RBIs and surpassed Hall of Famer Jim Thome, placing him in second place in the franchise since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920. You may be interested in: MLB Summary: Rafael Devers reaches 100 RBIs; Manny Machado hits home run 23 and Otto López shines with two home runs The hit, a solid contact down the third base line against the pitches of the left-hander Garrett Cleavinger, allowed his compatriot Angel Martínez to score the tying run. Minutes later, a run-scoring single by the Venezuelan Gabriel Arias completed the comeback that secured the four-game series for Cleveland. The only step that separates Ramírez from the historical lead in RBIs for the club is Earl Averill, who has 1,084 RBIs. At 32 years old, Ramírez's offensive projection positions him to become the all-time RBI leader in franchise history in the next two seasons. Manager Stephen Vogt praised the greatness of his star:

“José is going to keep doing this as long as he’s in Cleveland. He’s one of the best players on the planet. It’s a lot of fun and a gift to be able to watch him every day”.

This historic triple adds to another milestone that J-Ram achieved on Saturday, when he recorded his 280th stolen base in Major League Baseball, breaking the tie with the Venezuelan Omar Vizquel to place second in Cleveland's history in stolen bases, only behind Kenny Lofton (452).

In the Live Ball Era (since 1920), Ramírez also established himself as one of the most dynamic third basemen in history. Among players with at least 50% of their games at third base, only Chone Figgins (341) has more stolen bases than him. Asked about the importance of his recent achievements, Ramírez responded:

“I think both marks —walks and steals— are very important. They are part of my game: play aggressive, produce runs and find any way to help the team”.

With this victory, the Guardians remain 2.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners in the fight for the third American League Wild Card, and Ramírez's inspiration could be key in the final stretch of the season.