CLEVELAND.- — In a historic night for José Ramírez, the stellar third baseman for the Cleveland Guardians celebrated his ascent to fourth place in games played in franchise history with a golden hit that left the Toronto Blue Jays stranded in the tenth inning, sealing a 5-4 victory at Progressive Field.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the extra inning, Ramírez remained calm and connected on a “sweeper” from left-hander Mason Fluharty on a 0-1 count, sending the ball in a line to left field to drive in the winning run. It was the eighth walk-off hit of his career, and the first since May 28, 2023, against the Cardinals.
“If I can lift the ball, we can win the game,” Ramírez commented after the game. “That’s what I like about those situations.”
Manager Stephen Vogt didn’t hold back his praise for his star: “Having José at the plate at any moment is exciting. But with the bases loaded, no outs in a situation like that, there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have batting.”
Ramírez also produced a run in the first inning with a single, in a game in which he played his number 1,527 game with the Cleveland jersey, surpassing Jim Hegan and remaining only behind Terry Turner (1,626), Nap Lajoie (1,615) and Lou Boudreau (1,560) in the history of the franchise.
Starting pitcher Gavin Williams worked 5.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned), with five hits and three walks. With that outing, he matched his season-high for starts (16), and closed out June with a 2.57 ERA in 28.0 innings, the best monthly mark of his career.
The Guardians’ bullpen — with Matt Festa, Tim Herrin, Jakob Junis, Dominican Emmanuel Clase, and Nic Enright — held the Blue Jays at bay for the final 4.2 innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while not allowing any runs.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the extra inning, Ramírez remained calm and connected on a “sweeper” from left-hander Mason Fluharty on a 0-1 count, sending the ball in a line to left field to drive in the winning run. It was the eighth walk-off hit of his career, and the first since May 28, 2023, against the Cardinals.
“If I can lift the ball, we can win the game,” Ramírez commented after the game. “That’s what I like about those situations.”
