J-Ram joins 30-30 club with 30th swipe

TORONTO -- With José Ramírez's first-inning steal of second in Sunday afternoon's 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays, he became the 39th player in Major League Baseball history to reach 30 stolen bases and 30 home runs in the same season, joining Grady Sizemore (2008) and Joe Carter (1987) as the only Indians players to reach the mark.
"I feel really happy about that," Ramirez said through a translator. "I kind of feel the same way about both [the steals and home runs]."
Ramirez added eight steals to his previous season high to join Tommy Harper, Howard Johnson and David Wright as the only third basemen to accomplish the feat. It was just the 60th time the 30-30 mark had been reached in MLB history.
• Every 30-30 season, ranked by club
"Not a lot of people do it in history," Francisco Lindor said. "It's a special number, he's having a great season, and I'm very happy for him."

After Sunday's game Ramirez has 37 home runs and 30 steals on the season with a .282 batting average.
"It's not just the 30-30," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Everything he does, he impacts the game in so many different ways."
The stolen base adds another impressive milestone in Ramirez's MVP candidacy. The 25-year-old third baseman entered Sunday ranked third in MLB Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs.

"He's our three-hole hitter," Francona said. "He plays good defense, he runs the bases, he's one of the best players in the league."
MVP candidates Mike Trout and Mookie Betts are both close to eclipsing the 30-30 mark. Trout came into Sunday with 33 home runs and 22 steals, while Betts had 29 homers with 27 steals.