Ramirez honored for 'Manny being Manny'

This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It’s 2023 -- 12 years past his final MLB season -- and Manny is still being Manny.

White chairs lined the infield grass prior to Saturday’s matchup between the Guardians and Tigers to seat the current members of the Guardians’ Hall of Fame to help welcome Manny Ramirez, the newest inductee.

Just a few hours before he took the podium on the field to thank the organization, his former teammates, his family and the fans, he sat down on the dais in the media room at Progressive Field to answer a few questions. The obvious one was asked first: How does it feel to be back? He answered it in a way that only Ramirez could.

“For me and my family, it's an honor to come back to the house that I built, the Jake,” Ramirez said with a big smile. “I know they changed the name, but I'm happy to be back. I'm happy to be back in the city and the place that I grew up.”

Ramirez spent the first eight seasons of his 19-year career in Cleveland. He enjoyed four All-Star Games, won three Silver Sluggers and placed second in the AL Rookie of the Year vote in 1994 -- the year Jacobs Field first opened. He led the Majors in ‘99 with 165 RBIs. Twice, he finished the season with an OPS over 1.100 and he helped his team reach the World Series in both ‘95 and ’97.

“I think we should have won it, but we had no pitching,” Ramirez said. “At that time we were scoring, like, eight runs and they made 12 (against) us. So it was kind of hard. But we did have a great run. At least we went to the World Series.”

Through all of the moments he endured, it was the last one that stood out the most. In his last game with Cleveland on Oct. 1, 2000, he smacked a home run to deep center field, leaving a prominent lasting memory for both him and the fans of his cherished time in Northeast Ohio.

“I think that's one of my best memories ever,” Ramirez said.

Guardians manager Terry Francona spent time with Ramirez for parts of five seasons as his skipper in Boston. Francona recalled the hitting drills he’d watch Ramirez participate in, as he’d marvel at Ramirez’s unmatched hand-eye coordination from afar.

“To be honest, nothing drove me,” Ramirez explained. “I just wanted to go and play the game. I was a kid coming out of New York City excited to come and show people what I could do and I always had that drive, but I wasn't looking to be the best right-handed hitter ever. I was just playing and competing and knowing that if I fell I could get up and knowing that there is always another day if it's God's will.

“Everybody's got a gift, but it's like, you've got to shine that diamond to really shine.”

Ramirez shined even brighter in Boston, going to the All-Star Game in all eight seasons he spent there. He picked up six more Silver Sluggers and had a pair of Top 3 finishes in the AL MVP vote. After quick stops with the Dodgers, White Sox and Rays, he ended his career after the 2011 season, owning a .312 average and a .996 OPS.

His numbers paired with his sweet right-handed swing are more than enough to be a Hall of Famer. However, he joins a handful of other players who have been tied to performance-enhancing drugs, which has caused him to fall short of election each year he’s been on the Hall of Fame Ballot.

“It’s going to happen,” Ramirez said. “It’s going to happen with time. But I’m not in a rush.”

Ramirez sat back in his chair, wearing a white dress shirt under his black Dolce and Gabbana tie that rested just beside a “C” for Cleveland that was pinned on his chest. He was relaxed and answered every question genuinely with little emotion. That was, until he heard the words, “Manny being Manny.”

“I wanted to ask you something about that. What does that mean?” Ramirez said to a reporter. “Because I never paid any mind to that. What’s that?”

Anyone who’s watched any game of Ramirez’s career -- whether it be from his time in Cleveland, Boston or even Los Angeles -- has heard the phrase, “Manny being Manny.” It was an expression that represented his personality, antics or sometimes aloofness in his day-to-day life. If anyone would’ve known the phrase, it certainly would’ve been Ramirez.

But reporters rattled off examples from his career that fell under the “Manny being Manny” category. Like that catch he made with Boston, when he snagged the ball over his shoulder in left field, jumped on the wall, high-fived a fan and then doubled up a runner at first base.

“I planned that before that happened,” Ramirez said. “No, why [is that Manny being Manny], because I'm thinking ahead of the game? I'm thinking like nobody else. No, I'm one step ahead of everybody.”

What about the time when he went up to reporters in Cleveland asking for money so that he could buy a motorcycle?

“Remember, we were young, joking around, we like to play around with people,” Ramirez said. “For what did we need a motorcycle, I didn't even know how to drive.”

Ramirez stayed on-brand, as he approached one long-time Cleveland reporter to tell them that he was planning to play baseball in Prague next year -- when he’d be 52 years old. He explained that he threw out a first pitch there and took batting practice, which prompted some offers. He was in town to watch the Guardians play on Friday and Saturday nights and couldn’t help but get the itch to get back on the field.

Then, Ramirez turned, walked toward the exit and shrugged his shoulders as he yelled, “Manny being Manny.”