CHICAGO -- The Guardians don’t expect José Ramírez to be 100 percent physically again until 2027, as a byproduct of the left hamate surgery he underwent in June. Ramírez has continually had to manage his hand months later, and hasn’t been himself offensively along the way.
But the Guardians know one thing for certain: Even a physically compromised Ramírez is capable of making a major impact.
We saw it in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, which may go down in the storied history of Cleveland baseball as The José Ramírez Game.
With Cleveland facing elimination in the best-of-five series, Ramírez delivered perhaps his single-greatest performance in the postseason in his decorated career. The 34-year-old went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base, to lead the Guardians to a 9-3 win over the White Sox at Rate Field.
Game 4 is set for Thursday.
The Guardians entered Wednesday staring the end of their season in the face after they dropped Games 1 and 2 of this series. Teams in the same spot historically have faced a long road to making a comeback, but not an impossible one.
Cleveland took a big step on Wednesday. In all best-of-five postseason series entering 2026, teams to lose the first two games before winning Game 3 to avoid elimination have won again to force a Game 5 in 18 of 39 instances (46%). They have come all the way back to win the series 10 of 39 times (26%).
Ramírez, as he so often has throughout his potential Hall of Fame career, was the engine driving the Guardians’ bus.
Ramírez first scored an insurance run in the fifth inning by flashing both his bat and his elite baserunning. He hit a one-out double off lefty Noah Schultz on a hot smash down the third-base line, stole third base and scored on a Chase DeLauter ground ball hit on a drawn-in infield.
DeLauter hit a 105.9 mph grounder to second baseman Chase Meidroth. By the time Meidroth came up ready to throw, Ramírez was halfway to home plate. He dove in safely to give the Guardians a 5-2 lead.
Ramírez’s double had a 106.5 mph exit velocity. He hit a 107.9 mph lineout in the first inning, which marked the second hardest-hit ball he’s had post-hamate surgery. He also drew a walk and scored a run in the third inning on Jo Adell‘s bases-clearing triple.
Ramírez wasn’t done; perhaps his biggest moment came in the sixth. Chicago loaded the bases via a walk, two hit batters and a single, and had cut Cleveland’s lead to two. All-Star Miguel Vargas had a chance to turn the game on its head, and he hit a line drive to Ramírez at third.
Ramírez slid to his left and snared the liner to get Hunter Gaddis out of the jam.
When Ramírez goes, the Guardians go. On Wednesday, Cleveland’s Superman soared.