Manuel Aristedes Ramirez was originally signed by Indians scout Joe DeLucca...is married, Juliannna, and has three sons...graduated from George Washington High School in Bronx, N.Y., in 1991...was a three time All-City selection in baseball...named New York City Public Schools High School Player of the Year in 1991, when he batted .615 with 14 homers in 22 games...was inducted into the New York City Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame in October 1999...missed a game May 10, 2004 to become a United States citizen...the next day, prior to the game against the Indians, he placed a small American flag in the outfield at Fenway Park...appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in November 2007...is the subject of Becoming Manny: Inside the Life of Baseball's Most Enigmatic Slugger, by Jean Rhodes and Shawn Boburg...the authorized biography, was published in 2009...donated his red 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 to charity in July, 2010...it sold for $50,100 in an online auction and the proceeds were split between ThinkCure!, the official charity of the Dodgers, and Maryvale, a placement home for girls in Los Angeles.
2008
Enjoyed one of the most productive final two months of a season in baseball history, carrying the Dodgers to their first National League West division championship since 2004 and their first National League Championship Series appearance since 1988...After being acquired from Boston moments before the July 31 trade deadline, batted .396 with 14 doubles, 17 homers, 53 RBI, a .469 on-base percentage, and a .743 slugging percentage in 53 regular-season games...from August 1 through season's end, led the Majors in that time in batting average, RBI, onbase percentage, and slugging percentage...also ranked third in homers behind only Miguel Cabrera (18) and Ryan Howard (18)...His 21 homers as a Dodger from August 1 through the postseason (17 in regular season and four in postseason) were the most by any player on the team for the entire season, one more than Andre Ethier's 20...His .396 average with the Dodgers is the second-highest ever for an in-season acquisition behind only Cesar Cedeno, who hit .434 in 28 games in 1985 after his trade to the Cardinals from the Reds...Hit .332 in a combined 153 games with Boston and Los Angeles to rank third in all of baseball behind only Chipper Jones (.364) and Albert Pujols (.357)...also tied for fourth in the Majors with 37 home runs and tied for sixth with 121 RBI...ranked second in the big leagues with a .601 slugging percentage, behind Albert Pujols (.651)...ranked fourth in the Majors with a .430 on-base percentage...His .332 average was his highest since 2002, when he won the American League batting title with a .349 average...has hit .300 or above in eight of the last 10 seasons beginning in 1999...did not have an average lower than .292 in that time...Finished with 527 career home runs to rank 17th on baseball's all-time list...hit homer No. 500 on May 31 at Baltimore, accomplishing the feat in his 7,263rd at-bat, eighth fewest all-time...began the season with 490 career homers, and went on to surpass on the all-time list Fred McGriff (493), Lou Gehrig (493), Gary Sheffield (499), Eddie Murray (504), Mel Ott (511), Eddie Mathews (512), Ernie Banks (512), Willie McCovey (521), Frank Thomas (521), and Ted Williams (521)...With 53 RBI with the Dodgers and 68 RBI with the Red Sox, joins Carlos Beltran as the only players in Major League history to record at least 50 RBI in both leagues in the same season...Beltran turned the trick in 2004, collecting 51 RBI with Kansas City and 53 with Houston...Became the fifth player to hit at least 15 homers with two different teams in the same season, joining Fred McGriff (San Diego and Atlanta in 1993), Mark McGwire (Oakland and St. Louis in 1997), David Justice (Cleveland and New York Yankees in 2000), and Carlos Beltran (Kansas City and Houston in 2004)...Was named the Sharp Presents the National League Player of the Month for August...batted .415 (44-for-106), with seven doubles, nine home runs, 25 RBI and 21 runs scored in 29 games...led the NL in batting average, ranked second in hits, was tied for second in home runs, and ranked third in RBI...Logged his 51st multi-homer game August 30 at Arizona, going deep twice in the Dodgers' 6-2 win, the start of an eight-game winning streak...His nine homers in August were the most in a calendar month for a Dodger since James Loney's nine in September/October 2007...Went 2-for-4 in his Dodger debut on August 1 vs. Arizona...hit his first home run on August 2 off Arizona's Yusmeiro Petit...belted four homers in his first six games from August 1-7...In his first 16 games with the club, collected 25 hits, six home runs, and 21 RBI...since RBI became an official stat in 1920, only one other player reached Ramirez's totals in each of those categories over his first 16 games with a team (Mandy Brooks had 25 hits, six homers, and 24 RBI in his first 16 games with the Chicago Cubs in 1925)...Hit safely in each of the club's eight post-season games, batting .520 (13-for-25) with four homers, 10 RBI, 11 walks, and a .667 on-base percentage
2007
SUMMARY: Finished 3rd on the club with 20 homers and with 88 RBI, his lowest totals in a season since 1994 (17 HR/60 RBI)...Had Boston's 4th best average (.296) and tied for team lead in sacrifice flies (8)...Tied Vladimir Guerrero for the American League lead in game-winning RBI (17), tied for 3rd in the league in intentional walks (13) and had the 13th best on-base percentage (.388)...Started 120 games in left field and 11 as the designated hitter.
BATTING: Had slowest start of career, hitting .188 in 1st 23 games through June 28...Went on 17-for-44 (.386) tear over next 11 contests, improving to .256...Had dropped to .244 on May 22 before batting .420 (37-88) in his next 26 games and was at .305 through June 22...Was just 8-for-46 (.174) in next 14 games before producing a .421 (24-57) average in a 16-game span that gave him a .306 mark on July 27...Batted .268 (33-123) over his final 33 games...Had season best 11-game hitting streak from April 29-May 12...Produced 4 hits twice, May 26 at Texas and June 1 vs. New York...Against lefthanders ranked 2nd in the A.L. in on-base percentage (.478), 3rd in slugging (.617), and 6th in average (.344). JULY HONORS: Was selected as the Red Sox Player of the Month for July after batting .340 with 7 homers and 25 RBI in 26 games...Named the A.L. Player of the Week for July 23-29 with .393 (11-28) average, 3 homers and 10 RBI...Was his 15th A.L. weekly award, the most of any player in history.
MISCELLANEOUS: Appeared in 127 of Boston's 1st 132 games through August 28...Left that game in New York with a strained left oblique muscle and missed next 24 contests before returning to action for final 6 games...Became just the 14th player ever with 1,000 hits with 2 teams when he reached that milestone with the Red Sox, May 1 vs. Oakland...Hit .286 (12-42) with 2 homers and 11 RBI as the DH...Hit the A.L.'s longest home run in 2007, 481 feet on July 26 at Cleveland...Tied for 7th in the A.L. with 21 GIDP, one shy of career high (2003)...Has gone 409 games since last stolen base, April 10, 2005 at Toronto...Was ejected fro 3rd time in career, August 6 at Los Angeles by James Hoye.
WITH THE GLOVE: Had the best fielding percentage of any A.L. left fielder in 2007 at .990 (2 E/192 TC) and led Red Sox outfielders with 8 assists in his 120 games...Was his highest figure ever in a season (100 or more games in OF), surpassing .989 in 2006...Had a string of 95 consecutive errorless games between miscues on April 24 and August 28...Ranked 5th among qualifying A.L. left fielders in 2006...After seeing action exclusively in right with Cleveland, all but 7 of his outfield appearances with Boston have been in left (7 in RF in 2002)...Led major league outfielders in assists (17) in 2005, most by a Red Sox since Jim Rice (21 in 1983)...Tied for 5th in A.L. with 11 assists in 2003...Topped A.L. with career best 19 assists in 1996.
POSTSEASON PERFORMER: Batted .348 (16-46) with 4 homers and 16 RBI while starting all 14 games in left field...Led Red Sox in RBI and walks (16) and tied for 1st in homers...Were 4th most walks and tied for 7th most RBI ever in a single post-season...Hit safely in 1st 8 playoff games at .440 (11-25) before going 5-for-21 (.238) in final 6 contests...Was 3-for-8 (.375) with 2 homers and 4 RBI in 3-game DS vs. Los Angeles...Won Game 2 at Fenway Park with 9th inning 3-run walk-off homer off Francisco Rodriguez, his 1st career post-season game-ending homer and the 11 in DS history...Was Boston's 9th lifetime post-season walk-off homer...Also joined Ortiz with back-to-back homers off Jered Weaver in 4th inning of Game 3...In the 7-game ALCS against Cleveland, had a .409 (9-22) average with 2 homers and 10 RBI...Was one shy of LCS record for both RBI and walks (9)...Homered off Rafael Perez in Game 2 and had final of 3 consecutive blasts off Paul Byrd in 6th inning of Game 4...Was 4-for-16 with 2 RBI in Word Series sweep of Colorado, going 3-for-4 with both RBI in Game 1.
CAREER NOTES
ALL-TIME LEADERS: Has averaged an RBI every 4.40 AB in his career, the 7th best ratio in major league history among players with at least 3,000 plate appearances...Has the 8th highest slugging percentage all-time at .593 and both the 10th best OPS (on-base + slugging percentages) at 1.002 and home run/at bat ratio at 14.40 among players with at least 3,000 plate appearances...Ranks among the top 50 all-time in grand slam homers (2nd, 20), home runs (26th, 490), RBI (28th, 1604) and extra base hits (32nd, 978).
IN THE ACTIVE RANKS: Among all players who appeared in 2007, is 3rd in slugging, 4th in OPS, 5th in RBI, 6th in intentional walks (167), 7th in batting average (.312), homers, extra base hits, and on-base percentage (.409-tied), 8th in doubles (471), 9th in total bases (4184) and walks (1125), 12th in runs (1342), and 15th in hits (2209).
FIVE AND TEN: Over the last 5 seasons (2003-07), ranks 4th in RBI (568) and is 7th in home runs (180)...Has the 2nd most RBI (1232) of any major league player in the last 10 years (1998-2007), is 4th in homers (381), and ranks 9th in batting average (.316/minimum 2,000 plate appearances).
RED SOX RANKINGS: Has had 7 outstanding seasons in a Boston uniform...Has the 4th highest slugging percentage (.594) and OPS (1.006), the 5th best on-base percentage (.412), and the 7th highest batting average (.313) among Red Sox with at least 3,000 plate appearances...Ranks 5th in homers (254), 6th in RBI (800), 8th in extra base hits (494), 12th in total bases (2131), and 13th in walks (584) on Boston's all-time lists...Has batted .300 in 5 of 7 seasons and at least .292 in every year with the Red Sox. Since joining the Red Sox, is batting .319 (567-1777) with 128 homers and 421 RBI in 504 games at Fenway Park...Lifetime average of .316 (604-1910) ranks 6th best at Fenway Park since 1957 among players with at least 1,500 at bats.
HOME RUNS: Compiled his 13th consecutive 20-homer season in 2007, the 12th player in major league history to accomplish that feat...Ended a string of 9 straight seasons with at least 35 home runs...Went 18 games without a homer, August 6-25...Last 5 homers came on the road after July 22 blast vs. Chicago at Fenway Park
ALL-STAR LOG: Was selected as a reserve to the 2007 A.L. All-Star team after being elected as a starter the previous 8 seasons...Has been named an All-Star 11 times overall, including all 7 years with the Red Sox...Played in his 8th midsummer classic in 2007, flying out as a pinch-hitter in the 3rd inning.
2006
SUMMARY: Led the American League with a .439 onbase
percentage, was 2nd with a 1.058 OPS, had the
4th highest slugging percentage at .619, and ranked
5th with a career high 100 walks...was also among
the league leaders in intentional walks (T4th, 16), average
(8th, .321), and homers (T8th, 35)...topped the
Red Sox in average and was 2nd in homers, RBI (102),
walks, and slugging...started 124 games in left and 5
as the DH...played in 122 of season's 1st 126 games
but just 8 (7 starts) of final 36 beginning August 24 due to right knee tendonitis...his 130 games
were fewest since 2002 (120) and 79 runs and 144 hits were lowest totals since 1994.
SEASON RUNDOWN: Started slowly, hitting .241 with no homers and 6 RBI in 1st 16 games
through April 20...had a .400 (22-55) average with 6 homers and 12 RBI in next 16 contests, improving
to .321 on May 9...batted .243 (26-107) with 11 homers and 24 RBI in next 31 contests and
was at .282 through June 18...hit safely in 49 of next 56 games at .382 (79-207) with 17 homers
and 58 RBI to rise to a season best .331 on August 20...with his right knee problems was just 4-for-25 (.160) with a homer and 2 RBI in 11 games the rest of the year...best month was July with .337
average, 9 homers, and 29 RBI...ranked 2nd in A.L. for month in RBI to David Ortiz (35).
WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Produced a career best 27-game hitting streak from July 15-August
12, batting .400 (40-100) with 8 homers and 28 RBI...raised average from .301 to .326 in that
span...was the longest streak in the American League in 2006 and 3rd longest in the majors behind
Philadelphia's Chase Utley (35) and Houston's Willy Taveras (30)...was the longest by a Red
Sox player since Johnny Damon (29 in 2005).
MILESTONES: Recorded his 1000th career walk on June 9 versus Texas, his 450th homer on June
10 against the Rangers, his 2000th hit on July 1 at Florida, and his 1500th RBI on August 3 versus
Cleveland...became the 13th player to earn his 2000th hit in a Boston uniform, the 1st since Wade
Boggs in 1992...Garret Anderson of the Los Angeles Angels produced his 2000th hit on the same
day, the 1st time that had occurred since June 19, 1973 (Cincinnati's Pete Rose and California's
Willie Davis).
MISCELLANEOUS: Had highest on-base percentage by a Red Sox since own .450 in 2002...finished
2nd in the American League in home batting average with a .355 (78-220) mark at Fenway
Park...hit .389 (7-18) in the DH role...had season high 4 hits, August 18 vs. New York Yankees
(night game)...has gone 276 games since last stolen base, April 10, 2005 at Toronto.
2005
SUMMARY: Enjoyed another All-Star season, batting .292 with 30 doubles, 45 homers, 144 RBI, 112 runs scored, a .388 on-base percentage and a .594 slugging percentage...won his 7th consecutive Silver Slugger Award (8th overall), his 5th in as
many seasons in Boston..matched his career high in home runs (1998 with Cleveland),
topping 40 for the 5th time...surpassed his 2005 total of 144 RBI in 1998 (145) and
1999 (165) while playing for Cleveland...became one of 8 players in history with 8
consecutive 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons.
A CHECK OF THE LEADER BOARD: Ranked among A.L. leaders in home run ratio (first, one
every 12.3 at-bats), RBI ratio (first, one every 3.8 at-bats), grand slams (tied for first
with 3), home runs (3rd with 45), RBI (3rd with 144), slugging (4th at .394), average with
runners in scoring position (4th at .358), total bases (6th with 329), walks (6th with 80),
extra-base hits (tied for 6th with 76), runs (tied for 7th with 112) and OBP (7th at .388).
ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER 40: With 45 home runs, joined Carl Yastrzemski as just the
2nd player in Red Sox history with 3 seasons of at least 40 long balls...with Boston,
drilled 41 in 2001 and a league-leading 43 in 2004...Manny also topped 40 as an Indian
in 1998 and 1999.
ONE-TWO PUNCH: David Ortiz (47 homers and 148 RBI) and Manny (45 homers and 144
RBI) combined for 92 home runs and 292 RBI...no pair of teammates in baseball hit more
home runs or combined for more RBI...over the last 2 seasons, they are tied for the most
home runs in baseball (88 each), while they rank one and 2 in RBI (Ortiz with 287 and Manny
with 274)...in club history, no teammates have hit more homers in a season, and only Vern
Stephens and Ted Williams combined for more RBI in a season, when they both drove in 159 for a total of 318 in 1949...David and Manny are the first teammates in Red Sox history with consecutive 40-homer seasons...the only other pair of Sox to ever slug 40 long balls
in the same season even once is Carl Yastrzemski and Rico Petrocelli in 1969...they join
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (1930-31) as the only teammates in baseball history with
consecutive 40-homer, 140-RBI campaigns.
A GRAND TIME HAD BY ALL: With 3 grand slams in 2005--April 16 vs. Tampa Bay off
Dewon Brazelton, June 26 at Philadelphia off Brett Myers and July 5 at Texas off Chris
Young--ran his career total to 20, 2nd-most in major league history behind only Lou
Gehrig (23)...has hit 7 as a member of the Red Sox, trailing only Ted Williams (17), Rico
Petrocelli (9), Bobby Doerr (8) and Jim Rice (8) in club history.
SEEING STARS: Named to his 9th All-Star team, Ramirez was voted an All-Star starter for
the 5th straight season since coming to Boston...only 2 other Red Sox have been selected to start 5 or more All-Star Games in a row: Wade Boggs (7 straight, 1986-92) and Carl Yastrzemski (6 straight, 1967-72)...starting in left field, went 0-for-2 in the Mid-Summer Classic July 12 in Detroit...grounded into a double play against Chris Carpenter in the first and struck out against Roy Oswalt in the 3rd.
AS MANNY GOES, SO GO THE SOX: Manny hit .353 (112-for-317) with 17 doubles, 36
homers, 112 RBI, 83 runs scored, a .451 on-base percentage and a .748 slugging
percentage in Red Sox wins in 2005...in Boston setbacks, Manny hit .211 (50-for-237)
with 13 doubles, a triple, 9 homers, 32 RBI, 29 runs scored, a .297 on-base percentage
and a .388 slugging percentage.
CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN: After starting the season 8-for-38 (.211) with no
homers and 4 RBI through his first 10 games, exploded with 5 homers and 12 RBI over
his next 3-plus games (10 at-bats)...April 16 vs. Tampa Bay, went 2-for-3 with a pair of
homers--including a grand slam off Dewon Brazelton--and all 6 Sox RBI in a 6-2 win...2
days later, on Patriots Day vs. Toronto, went 2-for-2 with 2 more homers, 5 RBI, 2 walks
and 3 runs scored in a 12-7 win...April 19 vs. Toronto, crushed a majestic first-inning
solo home run off Roy Halladay that sailed above the light tower atop Fenway's left field
wall, bounced on the roof of the parking garage across Lansdowne Street and came to rest
on the train tracks next to the Massachusetts Turnpike.
SIZZLING FINISH: At .292 to end the season, Manny's batting average was at its highest
point since it stood at a 2005-best .294 on April 20...a career .316 hitter into 2005,
Manny's average stood at .224 on
May 27, but he hit .324 (125-for-386) in 105 games the rest of the way...over his final 17 games beginning September 15, hit .377 (23-for-61) with 10 homers and 22 RBI...Manny went deep 9 times in his last 12 games.
WHATEVER IT TAKES: Was hit by a Keiichi Yabu pitch with the bases loaded to give the Red Sox a walk-off 3-2 win in 10 innings September 16
vs. Oakland...it was the Red Sox' first
walk-off hit batsman since June 16,
1997, when Philadelphia's Ricky
Bottalico hit Troy O'Leary in the bottom of the 10th to give the Sox to the 5-4 win...the last game-ending hit-by-pitch in the majors had been August 23, 2002 when Atlanta's Kevin Gryboski hit the Dodgers' Paul Lo Duca.
HEROICS: Slammed a 7th-inning 2-run homer off Pete Walker to snap a 4-4 tie and give the Red Sox a 6-4 win July 2 vs. Toronto...singled home a run
in the first and snapped a 1-1 tie with
a solo homer off Danny Haren in the
bottom of the 6th...hit a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 8th inning to give the Red Sox a 5-3 lead July 4 at Texas, but the Rangers rallied for a 6-5 win...one pitch after Joe Crede dropped his foul
pop up, Manny slugged a 9th-inning
solo homer off Luis Vizcaino to snap a
5-5 tie and give the Sox a 6-5 win July
21 at Chicago (AL)...bounced a pinch-hit RBI single up the middle off Juan Rincon with 2
outs in the bottom of the 8th to give the Red Sox a 4-3 win over the Twins and a sweep of
the 3-game series July 31 at Fenway...knocked in both Boston runs in a 2-1 win September
18 vs. Oakland.
THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW: Led major league outfielders with 17 assists, his highest
single-season total since ringing up a career-high 19 assists with the Indians in 1996...the
last Red Sox outfielder to record more assists in a single season was Jim Rice with 21 in
1983.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: A career .356 hitter off lefties into 2005, Manny batted just .236
(39-for-165) with 13 homers off southpaws...batted .316 (123-for-389) with 32 homers
off righthanders...batted .307 (78-for-254) with 22 homers and 73 RBI at Fenway and .280
(84-for-300) with 23 long balls and 71 RBI on the road...hit .323 (65-for-201) with 17
homers and 51 RBI over his final 55 games beginning August 1...batted .237 (65-for-274)
with 13 homers with the bases empty but .346 (97-for-280) with 32 homers with men on
and .358 (57-for-159) with runners in scoring position...13 of his 45 homers came from
the 7th inning on...hit 8 homers and drove in 18 in 17 games against the Devil
Rays...slugged 6 homers with 17 RBI in 19 games against the Yankees...hit 3 homers and
plated 19 runs in 16 games against the Orioles...hit .385 (25-for-65) with 7 homers when
jumping on the first pitch...14 of his long balls came with 2 strikes...27 of his homers came
against a pitcher he was seeing for the first time in a game.
MORE 2005 HIGHLIGHTS: Tripled off Travis Harper in the 8th inning April 22 at Tampa Bay, his first 3-base hit since July 9, 2003 at Toronto...was named A.L. Player of the Week for the week of April 18-24...in 7 games, batted .364 (8-for-22) while leading the league with 4 home runs, 10 RBI, 8 runs, a 1.091 slugging percentage and 24 total
bases...the Player of the Week award was Manny's 12th...went 4-for-4 with 4 singles in a
17-1 win May 28 at Yankee Stadium...singled his first 3 times up the next night to give
him 7 hits in 7 at-bats...led all major leaguers with 21 RBI in interleague play, while his
7 long balls were one behind major league leader Mark Teixeira of the Rangers...June 21,
finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a homer and 4 RBI in a 10-9 win at
Cleveland...hit 3 homers and drove in 9 runs in a 3-game sweep June 24-26 at Philadelphia...in the series finale, slugged his 19th career grand slam off Brett Myers...was named Bank of America A.L. Player of the Week for the week of June 20-26...the honor was the 13th of his career...in 6 games during the week, batted .407 (11-for-27) while leading the league with 5 home runs, 15 RBI, 27 total bases and a 1.000 slugging
percentage...finished 2nd with 8 runs scored while helping Boston go 6-0 to reclaim first
place in the A.L. East...received Player of the Week kudos for the 3rd time in 2005 for the
week of August 1-7...the honor was his 14th all-time, moving him past Frank Thomas for
most by any player since the award was inaugurated in 1974...during the week, Manny
batted .533 (8-for-15) with 3 homers, a league-best 10 RBI and 5 runs scored...hit his
20th career grand slam July 5 at Texas to move alone into 2nd place on the all-time list
behind only Lou Gehrig (23)...the shot highlighted a 5-run 3rd in a 7-4 Sox victory...August
2 vs. Kansas City, erased a 4-0 deficit with a 3-run homer in the in the 4th...finished with
4 RBI in the 6-4 win...the next day, ignited an 8-5 win over the Royals with a first-inning
3-run homer, as the Sox won their 7th in a row...left the game in the bottom of the inning
after colliding with Edgar Renteria while chasing a Ruben Gotay pop up...suffered contusions on the right side of his face and chest, but missed just one game...went 4-for-4 with
a double, a homer, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored in an 11-7 win August 7 at Minnesota...was
2-for-3 with a homer, 3 RBI and 3 runs in a 16-5 win August 10 vs. Texas...snapped a
10th-inning 3-3 tie with an RBI ground out, giving the Sox a 4-3 win August 19 at Los
Angeles (AL)...snapped an 18-game home run drought with a 2-run blow in the first,
sparking a 9-2 win over Shawn Chacon September 10 at Yankee Stadium...went 4-for-4
with 2 homers, 3 RBI and 4 runs
scored in a 15-2 win September 20
at Tampa Bay...his 4th 2-homer game
of the season (the 43rd multi-homer
game of his career) came October 1
vs. New York (AL)...he went deep off
Randy Johnson in the first and Tom
Gordon in the 8th.
IN THE POSTSEASON: Went 3-for-10 (.300) with 2 homers, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored in the 3-game ALDS
vs. Chicago...after going 0-for-4 in Game 1 to snap his 17-game post-season hitting streak (tied for the longest in major league history), went
1-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBI in Game
2...slugged a pair of solo homers as part of a 2-for-3 effort with a walk in Game 3...went
deep off Freddy Garcia in the 4th and 6th innings.
2004
SUMMARY: Capped his finest season
as a Red Sox with his first career
American League home run crown then
earned Most Valuable Player honors
in the World Series...batted .308 with
44 doubles, 43 homers, 130 RBI, 348
total bases, 108 runs scored, 82
walks, a .613 slugging percentage and
a .397 on-base percentage in a team-high 152 games...topped 30 long balls
and 100 RBI for the 7th season in a
row, a streak matched only by Alex
Rodriguez over the last 7 seasons.
IF THE CROWN FITS...: With 43 homers, Ramirez captured his first career
home run title, the first by a Red Sox
since Tony Armas clubbed 43 homers in 1984...it was the 18th home run title in franchise history.
A CHECK OF THE LEADERBOARD: In addition to leading the league in homers, Manny
topped the A.L. in home run ratio (one every 13.2 at-bats), slugging (.613) and OPS
(1.010) and ranked 2nd with 87 extra-base hits, tied for 2nd with an RBI every 4.4 at-bats, 3rd with 130 RBI, 4th with 348 total bases and 7th with a .340 average with runners
in scoring position.
SEEING STARS: Named to his 7th All-Star team, (1995, 1998-99, 2001-2004), Ramirez
was voted an All-Star starter for the 4th straight season since coming to Boston...only 2
other Red Sox have been selected to start 4 or more All-Star Games in a row: Wade
Boggs (7 straight, 1986-92) and Carl Yastrzemski (6 straight, 1967-72)...Manny hit a
first-inning 2-run homer off Roger Clemens in the Mid-Summer Classic in Houston.
ONE-TWO PUNCH: Manny and David Ortiz became the first pair of A.L. teammates since
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931 to both bat .300 with 40 homers and 100 RBI...in
major league history, the feat has been accomplished only 11 other times (including by
Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds of the Cardinals in 2004)...Ruth and Gehrig are the only
other A.L. teammates to turn the trick (in 1927, 1930 and 1931)....Ortiz and Ramirez
were also the first pair of teammates in major league history with 40 homers and 40
doubles in a season...the only other Red Sox teammates to club 40 long balls in the same
season are Carl Yastrzemski and Rico Petrocelli in 1969...Ramirez (130 RBI) and Ortiz
(139 RBI) became only the 3rd pair of Sox to reach 130 RBI in the same season...Vern
Stephens and Ted Williams both knocked in 159 in 1949, and Walt Dropo and Stephens
plated 144 each in 1950.
A GRAND TIME HAD BY ALL: With 2 grand slams in 2004--August 20 at Chicago off Mark
Buehrle and September 10 at Seattle off Aaron Taylor, ran his career total to 17, one
behind active leader Robin Ventura and 5th-most in major league history behind Lou
Gehrig (23), Eddie Murray (19), Willie McCovey (18) and Ventura.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: With his first career homer against the Dodgers on June 12,
Manny has homered against 26 of the 30 major league clubs...he has not gone deep against
the Rockies or Giants, both of whom he faced for the first time in his career in 2004...he's
never faced the Diamondbacks and has not gone deep in 7 career games (25 at-bats)
against the Cubs...10 active major leaguers have homered against all 30 clubs.
PINCH ME, I'M DREAMING: Manny collected only the 2nd pinch hit of his major league career
when he delivered a 9th-inning single off Brendan Donnelly July 16...now 2-for-18 in the
pinch all-time, Manny's last pinch hit came during his first major league season, September
21, 1993 vs. Baltimore...batting for Sam Horn, he singled in the bottom of the 8th against
Jim Poole.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Hit .315 with 23 homers and 72 RBI in 78 games at Fenway and
.301 with 20 long balls and 58 RBI on the road...Manny's 23 homers at Fenway are the
most by a Red Sox since Mo Vaughn hit 27 in 1996...hit .309 with 30 homers and 89 RBI
off righthanders and .306 with 13 homers and 41 RBI off lefties...was 8-for-18 with 2
grand slams and 18 RBI with the bases loaded...hit .388 (33-for-85) in April....hit 9
homers in May and August...knocked in 25 runs in August...hit 7 homers and drove in 16
runs against the Yankees...hit 6 homers and drove in 12 in only 9 games vs. Seattle...hit
14 homers with 2 strikes against him...batted .289 (54-for-187) with 15 homers and 46
RBI in 51 games batting 3rd and .318 (121-for-380) with 28 homers and 84 RBI in 100
games batting clean-up...led off 14 innings with a home run...had 27 go-ahead RBI, 14
game-tying RBI and 58 RBI with 2 outs.
MORE 2004 HIGHLIGHTS: Hit safely in 9 straight games from April 7-18, batting .436
(17-for-39)...became the 69th player in major league history to hit 350 homers, stroking
a solo homer off Mike Mussina in the 5th inning April 17...was his 30th career homer vs.
the Yankees...his 2-run homer off New York's Javier Vazquez gave the Sox their 2-0 win
April 25...fell a triple shy of the cycle June 10 vs. San Diego, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and
2 runs...stroked 4 hits July 1 at New York, including a pair of homers...went 4-for-5 with
2 homers and 5 RBI July 10 vs. Texas...his 26 homers before the All-Star Break
matched his career high (2001)...either scored or knocked in a run in 9 straight starts in
his final 9 games before the All-Star Break, with 18 RBI and 9 runs scored in that
span...had an RBI in 6 straight starts (14 RBI total) before the Break...August 20 in
Chicago, touched Mark Buehrle for his 16th career grand slam, his first since September
11, 2002 at Tampa Bay...had 11 RBI in 3 games at the White Sox August 20-22...scored
a season-high 3 runs August 25 at Toronto...slugged a pair of homers in Boston's 10-7 win over Anaheim August 31...scored a run in 6 straight games from August 25-September 1 (10 runs)...September 10 at Seattle connected for his 17th career grand slam...also
matched his season-high with 5 RBI for the 4th
time...hit safely in a season-high 11 straight
games from September 20-October 1, batting
.326 (14-for-43).
IN THE POSTSEASON: The World Series MVP,
Ramirez hit safely in all 14 post-season games,
batting .350 (21-for-60) with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 11 RBI and 8 runs scored...went 5-for-13
(.385) with 2 doubles, a homer, a team-high 7
RBI and 3 runs scored in the 3-game ALDS vs.
Anaheim, driving in at least 2 in each game...was
2-for-5 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and 2
runs in Game 1...took Scot Shields deep with 2
on in the 4th, part of a 7-run explosion in a 9-3
win...had a double in 3 tries and knocked in a
pair in Game 2...was 2-for-5 with 2 RBI in Game
3...batted .300 (9-for-30) with a double and 3
runs scored in the 7-game ALCS vs. the
Yankees...was 2-for-3 with 3 walks and a run
scored in Game 4 and 2-for-6 in Game
5...earned World Series MVP honors, batting
.412 (7-for-17) with a homer and 4 RBI in the
4-game sweep vs. St. Louis...went 3-for-5 and
drove in a pair in Game 1...went 2-for-4 with a
homer, 2 RBI and a key outfield assist in Game
3...after staking the Sox to a 1-0 lead with a
first-inning home run off Jeff Suppan, helped Pedro Martinez and the Red Sox escape a
bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the inning, catching a Jim Edmonds fly ball,
then throwing out Larry Walker at home plate.
2003
SUMMARY: Slammed a team-leading 37 homers, drove in 104 runs, scored 117 and ranked 2nd in the league with a .325 batting average in a career-high 154 games...voted to start the All-Star Game, he led the A.L. with a .427 on-base percentage, aided by a career-high 97 bases on balls...was intentionally walked a league-high 28 times, most ever by a Red Sox right-handed hitter...finished 6th in A.L. MVP voting, his 6th straight top 10 finish...won his 6th A.L. Silver Slugger Award, his 5th in a row.
A CHECK OF THE LEADER BOARD: Led the American League with a .427 on-base percentage, his 2nd straight OBP crown, and 28 intentional walks...reached base 290 times, 2nd to only Toronto's Carlos Delgado (300) in the A.L...after winning the 2002 batting title, was 2nd in batting at .325, one point behind teammate Bill Mueller...his 117 runs scored and .587 slugging percentage were both 4th-best in the league...trailed only Delgado in the A.L. with a 1.014 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage)...his 97 walks were 5th in the league, while his 37 homers were 7th in the A.L...ranked 8th in the A.L. with 334 total bases and 9th with a career-high 185 hits...led the league with a
.385 average vs. lefthanders...was 7th in the league with an average of one homer every
15.4 at-bats...grounded into 22 double plays, 3rd-most in the league.
SEEING STARS: Although he did not attend to rest a tender hamstring, Manny was named
to his 7th career All-Star team, voted to start for the 5th year in a row.
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO...: The combo of Manny and David Ortiz homered in the same game
9 times in 2003, as did the combo of Manny and Trot Nixon...only 4 Sox tandems have
homered in the same game more often in a season:
PLAYERS - YEAR - GAMES
Jim Rice and George Scott - 1977 - 11
Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams - 1940 - 11
Fred Lynn and Jim Rice - 1979 - 10
George Scott and Carl Yastrzemski - 1977 - 10
Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz - 2003 - 9
Manny Ramirez and Trot Nixon - 2003 - 9
Dwight Evans and Jim Rice 1982 - 9 -
Butch Hobson and George Scott - 1977 - 9
Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yastrzemski - 1969 - 9
ANYTIME, ANYPLACE: Ramirez ranked among American League leaders in batting average during the day (tied for 6th at .321) and at night (5th at .327), at home (7th at .331) and on the road (tied for 7th at .320)...he hit .326 with the bases empty and .325 with men on...hit .338 with runners in scoring position and .370 with men in scoring position and 2 outs.
I MEANT TO DO THAT: Led the A.L. with 28 intentional walks, 5 shy of the Boston and A.L.
record of 33, set by Ted Williams in 1957 and matched by John Olerud of the Blue Jays
in 1993...Ramirez's total was a career high and most ever by a Red Sox right-handed hitter.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Had 23 go-ahead RBI, 2nd to only David Ortiz (24) on the club...added 10 game-tying RBI and 41 two-out RBI...had 34 multiple-hit games, including 11 games with 3 hits...drove in 2 or more runs 29 times, including 7 games with 3 RBI and 3 games with 4 RBI...hit .385 with 8 homers vs. lefthanders and .305 with 29 homers vs. righthanders...hit .331 with 18 long balls and 48 RBI at Fenway Park and a team-best
.320 with 19 homers and 56 RBI on the road...batted .345 with 28 homers in innings 1-6 and .280 with 9 homers from the 7th inning on.
HEROICS: April 4 at Baltimore, teamed with Nomar Garciaparra on a relay to the plate to
gun down Deivi Cruz with the tying run to end an 8-7 win over the Orioles...scored the go-ahead run in a 6-5 win May 10 at Minnesota on an alert base-running play, dashing home
from third when Torii Hunter's throw to the infield got away on a fly ball to shallow
center...singled home Todd Walker for a walk-off 3-2 win over Houston in 14 innings on
June 15, completing a 3-game sweep...hit a game-tying single with 2 outs in the bottom
of the 9th July 19 vs. Toronto, and the Sox went on to win in 10...made a sliding catch in
the left field corner with 2 outs in the top of the 9th to save a come-from-behind 6-4 win
over the Yankees July 27 at Fenway...down 3-2 August 9 vs. Baltimore, hit a game-tying
homer in the 6th and the Sox went on to a 6-4 win...with the Sox trailing Oakland 2-1 in
the 9th and on the verge of losing 3 of 4, slammed a leadoff homer off Keith Foulke to tie
the game...Boston went on to win 4-2 in 10, salvaging a split of the 4-game set.
ON THE DEFENSIVE: Tied for 5th in the A.L. with 11 outfield assists, the 2nd-highest total
of his career...had 19 with the Indians in 1996...made 4 errors and posted a .982 fielding
percentage, playing 128 games (126 starts) in left field.
ETC.: Batted 4th in every game in which he appeared...opened the season by hitting
safely in 9 in a row, running his hitting streak over 2 seasons to 22 games...hit .342 (13-for-38) during the season-opening 9-game tear...went 4-for-4 with 2 doubles, a homer
and 4 RBI in an 11-4 win in game one of a June 3 twinbill at Pittsburgh...walked a career-high 5 times (twice intentionally) June 12 vs. St. Louis...his lone multi-homer game of
2003 came July 3 at Tampa Bay...July 21 vs. Detroit, went 4-for-4 with a double, a homer
and 3 RBI...doubled twice, hit his 30th homer, scored 3 and knocked in 3 in a 14-5 win
August 21 vs. Oakland...did not play between August 28 and September 3 due to a
severe case of pharyngitis.
IN THE POSTSEASON: Hit .265 (13-for-49) with a double, 3 homers and 7 RBI in 12
post-season games against the Athletics and Yankees...went 4-for-20 (.200) with a
homer, 3 RBI and a pair of runs in the ALDS vs. Oakland...after going 1-for-12 in the first
3 games, was 2-for-4 in Game 4 and, in the decisive Game 5, delivered the blast that
propelled the Red Sox into the ALCS, a 6th-inning 3-run homer off Barry Zito, snapping
a 1-1 tie in an eventual 4-3 win...batted .310 (9-for-29) with a double, 2 homers, 4 RBI
and 6 runs in the ALCS...was 4-for-5 with a 5th-inning solo homer off Mike Mussina in the
Game 1 win at Yankee Stadium...delivered a 2-run single off Roger Clemens to get the
scoring started in Game 3 at Fenway...hit a solo homer leading off the 4th off David Wells
in Game 5...doubled in a 3-run 7th and scored twice in the Game 6 win in New York.
2002
SUMMARY: Clinched his first A.L. batting title with a .349 batting average...despite
appearing in only 120 games due to a fractured left index finger, slugged 33 homers and
knocked in 107 en route to his 5th Silver Slugger Award, his 4th in as many years...was
named to his 6th A.L. All-Star team, voted to start for the 4th year in a row...finished 9th
in A.L. MVP voting...in addition to his batting crown, led the league with a .450 on-base
percentage, ranked 2nd with a .647 slugging percentage, was 2nd with a 1.097 OPS and
was 9th with 33 homers.
BATTING CHAMP: Became the 3rd Red Sox in 4 years to lead the A.L. in batting after
Nomar Garciaparra claimed batting crowns in 1999 and 2000...finished at .349, 9 points
ahead of Kansas City's Mike Sweeney...became the first player to win a batting title in a
season in which he played 119 games or less since George Brett hit .390 in 117
games in 1980.
GREAT START, BAD BREAK: Was batting .372 with 9 homers and 35 RBI in 33 games
through May 11, when he fractured his left index finger in the 3rd inning in Seattle sliding
into home plate trying to score from second on a single...was placed on the D.L. May 14
and missed the next 39 games...spent a 10-game rehab stint with Triple-A Pawtucket
June 13-24, going 3-for-30 (.100) with a homer and 2 RBI.
BIG FINISH: In 44 games from August 13 through the end of the season, batted .414
(67-for-162) to lift his average to a season-ending .349 from .310...closed out the
year riding a season-best 13-game hitting streak...was 22-for-47 (.468) during the
tear, which lifted his final average to .349 from .334...batted .396 (38-for-96) with 10
doubles, 9 homers and 30 RBI in 27 September games...became the first Red Sox with
30 September RBI since Jim Rice knocked in 31 in 1980...Manny was the first Boston
player to drive home 30 in any month since he had 31 RBI in April of 2001.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Was 4th on the club with 30 2-out RBI, including 17 from August
22 through the end of the season...led the Red Sox with 30 game-tying or go-ahead 27
after July 16...started 50 games as DH...hit 4 balls off the Fenway Park left-field wall on
the fly and a team-high 10 home runs over it...led the Sox with 7 multi-HR games and
29 multi-RBI contests...finished first in the A.L. by batting .348 (46-for-132) from the
7th inning on, and hit a league-best .360 (80-for-222) on the road.
MORE 2002 HIGHLIGHTS: Drew 4 walks on Opening Day, April 1 vs. Toronto, finishing 0-for-2 with 2 runs...recorded his 4,000th career at-bat in the 7th inning...named A.L.
Player of the Week for the week of April 15-21 after he went 11-for-22 (.500) with a
double, 4 homers, 10 RBI, 9 runs scored, a 1.091 slugging percentage and a .621 on-base percentage...went 2-for-4 with 2 homers and 5 RBI May 1 vs. Baltimore...started in
right field for the first time as a member of the Red Sox on May 4 at Tampa Bay, his first
start in right since October 1, 2000 with Cleveland vs. Toronto...went 2-for-2 with an
RBI in the All-Star Game at Miller Park in Milwaukee...established a career high with 5
hits July 16 at Detroit...recorded his 1,000th career RBI August 22 vs. Texas, going 4-for-4 with 2 homers, 6 RBU and 3 runs scored...the 6 RBI were his most in a game with the Red Sox and most since July 29, 2000 with Cleveland at Baltimore...reached base in 14 consecutive plate appearances August 21-24 (5 singles, a double, 2 homers and 6 walks)...the streak was the longest in the A.L. since Frank Thomas reached in 15
plate appearances in a row May 16-20, 1997...Manny hit his 300th career homer August 26 vs. Anaheim off Ramon Ortiz...went 5-for-5 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and 3 runs scored in the game...it was his 2nd career 5-hit game, his 2nd of 2002...reached safely in 24 consecutive games July 31-August 28, the the longest streak by a Red Sox since Jason Varitek's 24 gamer from April 8-May 11, 2000 in 2000...hit his 15th career grand slam September 11 at Tampa Bay (off Paul Wilson, giving the Red Sox a 4-2 lead in a 6-3 win)...drove in his 100th run September 17...it was the 2nd time in his
career he went over 100 RBI despite missing 39 or more games (he hit 38 homers and
drove in 122 in only 118 games in 2000).
2001
SUMMARY: In his first season with the Red Sox, hit .306 with 41 home runs and 125 RBI
in 142 games...finished 4th in the league with a .609 slugging percentage, 6th with a
.405 on-base average and 4th with a 1.014 OPS...placed 4th in home runs and RBI, 6th
with 76 extra-base hits and 322 total bases and 10th with 81 walks...was 9th in A.L.
MVP voting and was named an All-Star starter and an A.L. Silver Slugger.
41 HOMERS: Manny's 41 homers were 6th-most in Red Sox history...with a homer every
12.9 at-bats, ranked 4th in the league in home run frequency...connected for his 40th
homer September 18 vs. Tampa Bay off Tanyon Sturtze...his 3rd career 40-homer
season was the first by a Red Sox since Mo Vaughn hit 40 in 1998...joined Jimmie Foxx
and Dick Stuart as the only Red Sox to hit 40 homers in their first season with the
club...Foxx hit 41 in 1936...Stuart hit 43 in 1963.
WELCOME HOME: Went 1-3 in his Red Sox debut on Opening Day, April 2 at Baltimore...hit
a 3-run homer off Ryan Rupe on the first pitch he saw as a Red Sox at Fenway Park,
sparking an 11-4 win over the Devil Rays on April 6...in his first game as a Red Sox
against the Yankees, delivered a game-winning 2-run single off Mariano Rivera in the
bottom of the 10th April 13 at Fenway...finished his first homestand at Fenway with a
.447 (17-for-38) average, 3 doubles, a homer and 13 RBI in 10 games April 6-16.
APRIL POWERS: Hit safely in 22 of 25 games during the season's opening month to
earn American League Player of the Month kudos...batted .408 (40-for-98) with 9
homers and 31 RBI in 25 games on the month, setting a Red Sox record for April
RBI...finished April with a .482 on-base percentage and a .735 slugging
percentage...finished the month with 13 multi-hit games and 9 multi-RBI contests...was
the first Red Sox to drive in 30 runs in a month since Nomar Garciaparra turned the
trick in May of 1999...he was the first Boston outfielder to plate 30 runs in a month
since Tom Brunansky in July, 1992.
MAY IT NEVER END: Continued his role into the month of May, hitting .347 (34-for-98)
with 7 long balls and 27 RBI in 26 games...was hitting .378 with 16 homers and 58 RBI
in 51 games through the end of May...hit safely in 41 of 51 to open the year...then hit .264
(88-for-333) with 25 homers and 67 RBI in 91 games the rest of the way...batted .245 in June, .280 in July, .234 in August and .311 in September.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Struck out a career-high 147 times, 6th in the A.L...led the A.L.
with 25 intentional walks...hit .314 (50-for-159) with 60 RBI with runners in scoring
position...led the club with 46 multi-hit games, 51 2-out RBI and 47 game-tying and
go-ahead RBI...batted 4th 136 times and 3rd 6 times...led the Red Sox by hitting 10 fly
balls off Fenway's left field wall and 15 homers over the wall.
MORE 2001 HIGHLIGHTS: Enjoyed a season-best 12-game hitting streak April 5-17...hit
.447 (21-for-47) with 3 homers and 16 RBI during the run...hit 2 homers April 17 at
Tampa Bay, his first multi-homer game for Boston...also hit a pair April 22 at New York
and April 29 vs. Kansas City...hit his 250th career homer May 17 at Minnesota, a 2-run bomb off Brad Radke...Recorded his 49th and 50th RBI in the game, his 40th game of the season to become the 2nd-quickest Red Sox to reach 50 RBI...Walt Dropo
knocked in 50 in his first 36 games (the Sox' 49th game) in 1950...hit what was
determined to be the longest home run in SkyDome history June 3, a 491-foot blast
into the 5th deck off Toronto's Cris Carpenter...tied Roger Maris' 1962 A.L. record when
he was walked intentionally 4 times in an 18-inning 4-3 win June 5 vs. Detroit...homered
in 4 straight games June 2-5...hit 2 solo homers June 23 vs. Toronto off Chris
Michalak...the first was estimated at 463 feet, and the 2nd was estimated at 501 feet,
hitting high off the light standard in left field...had a season-high 10 total bases with a
double, 2 homers and 4 RBI in a 7-2 win July 20 at Chicago...hit his first grand slam as
a Red Sox August 19 vs. Baltimore off Calvin Maduro...missed 7 games with a right
hamstring strain August 20-26...with his solo homer August 29 at Cleveland, he hit at
least one long ball against every Red Sox opponent except Florida...missed the season's last 6 games with a sore left wrist, sustained when hit by a pitch September 28 at Detroit.
2000
SUMMARY: In his final season with the Indians, batted a career-best .351 with 34 doubles, 38 homers and 122 RBI in 118 games...for the 2nd year in a row, led the A.L. in slugging with a career-best .697 percentage and also repeated as OPS champ with a 1.154 mark...ranked 3rd in the league in batting and on-base percentage
(.457), 8th in RBI, 9th in home runs
and 10th in extra-base hits (74)...finished 6th in A.L. MVP voting and was named to his 4th All-Star team, selected to start for the 2nd year in a row.
MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENTS: Hit his
200th career home run April 9 at
Tampa Bay off Dave Eiland...drove in
a run in 9 consecutive games May 5-13, tying Al Rosen's 1954 Indians
club record...collected his 1,000th
career hit July 18 vs. Houston off
Shane Reynolds...reached safely in
an A.L.-best 49 straight games July
29-September 23...strung together
a career-best 20-game hitting streak
August 15-September 5.
HAMSTRUNG: Was on the 15-day D.L.
May 30-July 12 with a strained left
hamstring, his first career trip to the
D.L...was out 44 days, missing 39
games...after his return, hit .371 (95-for-256) with 22 doubles, 25 home runs and 75
RBI in 71 games, hitting safely in 60 of the 71...missed 4 games August 6-9 with a similar
strain of the hamstring.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: Batted .381 (88-for-231) with men on, 2nd in the A.L...homered in
6 of his last 10 games and in 11 of his last 23...had 4 two-homer games...saw 4.27 pitches
per plate appearance to lead the A.L...hit .380 (49-for-129) from the 7th inning on.
1999
Earned his first career All-Star start and tied for 3rd in A.L. MVP voting after batting .333 with 44 homers (4th-most in Cleveland history) and a league-leading and career-high 165 RBI...ranked among the top 5 in the league in all 3 Triple Crown categories, first in RBI, 3rd in homers and 5th in batting average...broke Hal Trosky's 1936
club RBI record of 162 RBI September 30 vs. Toronto, when he ran his season total to
164 with a 3-run homer off John Bale...was the first player since Jimmie Foxx in 1938
to top 160 RBI and the first Indian ever with back-to-back seasons of 130 or more
RBI...his ratio of 1.12 RBI per game is tied for 10th all-time with Babe Ruth (1931) and
Hank Greenberg (1935)...the ratio was baseball's best since Jimmie Foxx's 1.17 in
1938...was named to
The Sporting News All-Star team for the 2nd time and was also
named to the A.L. Silver Slugger Team for the 2nd time...named Indians Co-Man of the
Year after also ranking among league leaders in slugging (first at .663), OPS (first at
1.105), on-base percentage (2nd at .442), extra-base hits (3rd with 81), runs scored
(4th with a career-best 131), total bases (4th with 346), times on base (6th with 283),
hit by pitches (7th with a career-high 13), sac flies (7th with 9) and walks (9th with 96). Earned his first career All-Star start and tied for 3rd in A.L. MVP voting after
batting .333 with 44 homers (4th-most in Cleveland history) and a league-leading and
career-high 165 RBI...ranked among the top 5 in the league in all 3 Triple Crown categories, first in RBI, 3rd in homers and 5th in batting average...broke Hal Trosky's 1936
club RBI record of 162 RBI September 30 vs. Toronto, when he ran his season total to
164 with a 3-run homer off John Bale...was the first player since Jimmie Foxx in 1938
to top 160 RBI and the first Indian ever with back-to-back seasons of 130 or more
RBI...his ratio of 1.12 RBI per game is tied for 10th all-time with Babe Ruth (1931) and
Hank Greenberg (1935)...the ratio was baseball's best since Jimmie Foxx's 1.17 in
1938...was named to
The Sporting News All-Star team for the 2nd time and was also
named to the A.L. Silver Slugger Team for the 2nd time...named Indians Co-Man of the
Year after also ranking among league leaders in slugging (first at .663), OPS (first at
1.105), on-base percentage (2nd at .442), extra-base hits (3rd with 81), runs scored
(4th with a career-best 131), total bases (4th with 346), times on base (6th with 283),
hit by pitches (7th with a career-high 13), sac flies (7th with 9) and walks (9th with 96).
1998
Was named Indians Man of the Year after batting .294 with a career-high 45 home runs (3rd-most in club annals) and 145 RBI in 150 games...finished 6th in A.L. MVP voting and was named to his 2nd All-Star team...ranked among A.L. leaders in homers (3rd), RBI (4th), extra-base hits (4th with a career-high 82), slugging (4th at .599), total
bases (8th at 342) and OPS (9th at .976)...joined Frank Howard (1968) as the 2nd player in history to hit 8 homers in a 5-game span September 15-19...the barrage included a 3-homer game September 15 vs. Toronto...toured Japan with a major league All-Star team following the season.
1997
Tied for 4th in the league with a .328 average, slamming 26 homers and driving in 88...his .415 on-base percentage was 6th in the A.L., while his .953 OPS and 184 hits ranked 7th...was 8th with 302 total bases and 9th with 40 doubles...walked 85 times, a career-best that would stand until 2003...hit 3 grand slams.
1996
Topped 30 homers and 100 RBI for the 2nd year in a row, batting .309 with 33 long balls and 112 driven in...tied for the A.L. lead with 3 grand slams, finished 5th with 81 extra-base hits, 6th with a career-best 45 doubles and 9th with 320 total bases...led A.L. outfielders with a career-high 19 assists.
1995
Won his first career Silver Slugger Award and was named to
The Sporting News All-Star Team after hitting .308 with 26 doubles, a triple, 31 homers and 107 RBI in 137 games...became just the 25th player in major league history with a 30-homer, 100 RBI season at the age of 23 or younger, just the 2nd Indian (Hal Trosky in 1934 and 1936)...was selected by Buck Showalter as a reserve on the A.L. All-Star team, his first trip to the Mid-Summer Classic...was named A.L. Player of the Month for May after batting .394 (39-for-99) with 8 doubles, 11 homers and 27 RBI...smoked his first career grand slam August 4 vs. Chicago off Jason Bere...Manny and Albert Belle combined for 81 homers, most ever by a pair of Cleveland teammates...signed a 4-year contract with a club option for 2000 on December 7.
1994
Finished 2nd to Kansas City's Bob Hamelin in Rookie of the Year voting after a debut season in which he batted .269 with 17 homers and 60 RBI in 91 games...was named the 3rd-best rookie by
Baseball America behind Raul Mondesi of the Dodgers and Hamelin of the Royals...Manny was 2nd among A.L. rookies in almost every offensive
category including hits, doubles, home runs and RBI...following the season, played for
Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League.
1993
Was named Minor League Player of the Year by
Baseball America, combining to hit
.333 (163-for-489) with 31 homers and 115 RBI in 129 games with Double-A Canton-Akron and Triple-A Charlotte...
Baseball America named him the No. 2 Prospect in the Eastern League...was promoted to Triple-A Charlotte July 19, where his teammates included Jim Thome, Alan Embree and Sam Horn...had his contract purchased by Cleveland September 1, and made his major league debut the next day, going 0-for-4 at Minnesota...in his 2nd game, September 3 at New York, he went 3-for-4 a double, 2 homers, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored...his first big league hit was a double off Melido Perez, and his first homer came off Perez in the same game.
1992
Due to injury, played in only 81 games at Single-A Kinston, where he hit .278 with 13 homers and 63 RBI...was named the No. 3 Prospect and the Most Exciting Player in the Carolina League by
Baseball America...collected 47 RBI in 47 games May 1-June 30, including at least one in 7 straight games June 4-10...severely bruised the hamate bone in his left hand on July 4 and appeared in just one more game...was 2nd in the
league in RBI at the time of injury...batted .302 (25-for-83) in the Florida Instructional League.
1991
Made his pro debut for Burlington of the Rookie-level Appalachian League...took home league MVP honors and was named short-season Player of the Year by
Baseball America...won the league home run and RBI titles, barely missing the Triple Crown when he finished 3rd in batting at .326...slugged 19 homers and knocked in 63 in 59 games...also led the league in slugging (.679) and total bases (146)...won Howe SportsData Minor
League Player of the Week recognition for the week of August 11-17 after homering in 4 straight games.