White Sox fans welcomed back their old friend Alexei Ramirez with a warm ovation
It was a chilly night at the ballpark for the White Sox faithful who showed up to U.S. Cellular Field for Monday's showdown against the Rays, but these fans went home with two big reasons to sport warm smiles.
First, they watched their home team defeat the Rays in convincing fashion with a 7-1 victory on the strength of a strong performance by James Shields and home runs from Justin Morneau and Carlos Sanchez. But if that weren't enough, they also had an opportunity to welcome back an old friend, Alexei Ramirez.
Ramirez spent eight seasons patrolling the area near the second-base bag for the White Sox, first as a second baseman in his rookie season and then as their starting shortstop from 2009 to 2015. During that time, he amassed 1,272 hits, which is good for 12th in White Sox history -- a history that dates all the way back to 1901.
During his time with Chicago, Ramirez routinely turned great defensive plays, but perhaps none more famous than the one that secured the final out of Mark Buehrle's perfect game.
Was it appropriate for ALEXEI to receive an ovation in his first return to the South Side since departing in free agency last winter? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes it was.
