CLEVELAND -- José Ramírez made his MLB debut on Sept. 1, 2013, as a 20-year-old called up from Double-A to serve as a pinch-runner during Cleveland’s postseason push. Reflecting on that milestone, he recalled a few of his earliest career aspirations.
“I just recall [being] a young guy who was really hungry, really trying to make a name for himself and just trying to stay in the Majors as long as I could,” Ramírez said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero.
Mission accomplished. Ramírez has solidified himself as an icon in Cleveland sports history, and a modern symbol of durability, longevity and excellence in Major League Baseball. To that end, Sunday was cause for celebration. The 33-year-old appeared in his 1,619th career game, in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Cubs, to tie Cleveland's all-time franchise record held by Terry Turner.
Ramírez surpassed Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie for second in club history on Tuesday. He could secure sole possession of first in games played as soon as Monday.
“Of all the records, I feel that one is the most important because it kind of resembles what I wanted to do with this team,” Ramírez said Friday of the looming record. “Thank God for keeping me healthy and being able to play like that.
“But I think that was my ultimate goal: to be able to play as long as I could here and be able to be part of those records that are happening now.”
Ramírez (who’s in his 14th season) will become the only active player to lead an MLB franchise in games played -- a milestone that’s incredible when you consider some of his comps. Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski (3,308 games), Hank Aaron (3,076), Stan Musial (3,026) and Derek Jeter (2,747) lead the Red Sox, Braves, Cardinals and Yankees, respectively, in games played.
Ramírez is in great company, and Monday’s milestone is especially incredible given how his MLB career began.
Ramírez broke into the Majors as a pinch-runner and a super-utility man, when Cleveland had more highly-regarded prospects, such as Francisco Lindor. He recorded a .640 OPS in his first 180 career big league games, through 2015, and had been optioned back to the Minor Leagues four times.
“We didn't see what was going to happen coming [early on], necessarily,” general manager Mike Chernoff said. “But we did see a lot of signs of just a very exciting player, a guy who was going to persevere through anything. He’s one of the toughest players I've ever seen who will play through anything and never let a challenge get in his way.”
Ramírez said it was around 2018 when he found his footing, and felt like he belonged in the Majors and had an idea of what he could be. That was his first season playing third base almost exclusively, rather than rotating between positions. He has been a mainstay and a driving force for the Guardians since.
Ramírez is a seven-time All-Star and a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner. With six finishes in the Top 5 of MVP Award voting, he’s perhaps the best player to never receive the honor. Beyond a World Series title, that’s the greatest accolade missing from an already-tremendous résumé.
Just consider Ramírez ranks in other key categories in franchise history.
Runs: 1,003 (third)
Hits: 1,674 (seventh)
Doubles: 400 (third)
Home runs: 286 (second)
RBIs: 954 (second)
Steals: 289 (second)
Extra-base hits: 729 (first)
Of course, those figures were made possible by Ramírez’s durability. He’s played in at least 150 games in eight of the past nine full 162-game seasons. In 2019, he missed one month following surgery for a right hamate fracture and played in 129 contests. To date, that marks his only stint on the injured list.
It’s one thing to perform at a high level like Ramirez does. It’s another to do so while playing every day with the energy and level of effort that have been synonymous with his game during his career.
“It's hard as a young player to not run out every ground ball you hit,” Chernoff said, “when the best player on the field and the best player on your team for years is doing that every single time he does it.”
Given the Guardians signed Ramírez to a seven-year contract extension in January, there figures to be plenty of moments such as Sunday’s going forward. His hunger to be great is unwavering.
“That comes from the desire of when you love this game,” Ramírez said. “When you love this game, when you want to win the way I want to win, that hunger stays there. That hunger's never going to be gone until I'm able to win the way I want to win here.”