Guardians Superstar Shines In Win Over Cardinals

Jose Ramirez finished with three-hits in the Cleveland Guardians win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sep 20, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) hits a one run single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians clinched a spot in the postseason on Thursday afternoon and hopped on a plane headed for St. Louis shortly after. That means the starters had a rest day and enjoyed the first day of the road trip on the bench. Right?

Well, not exactly.

Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez had no intention of taking a day off and was right back in the lineup against the Cardinals on Friday night.

Not only did he play, but Ramirez played a critical role in the Guardians' victory. Cleveland's third baseman went 3-for-4 with two RBI, including a moon shot home run over the right field fence.

Hosey hits his 36th! 🤩#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/UJhP6JD1oD

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 21, 2024

Ramirez also set some Cleveland franchise history. He stole third base in the seventh inning and moved into fourth for the most stolen bases in team history. This is just another accolade for a player who will have his number "11" retired by the franchise at some point.

While Ramirez had a major impact on offense, he also made a couple of crucial plays on defense down the stretch, showing his all-around value to the team.

Sep 20, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) fields a ground ball against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This performance from Ramirez was the definition of leading by example.

During Thursday's celebration, J-Ram emphasized that clinching a playoff berth was just one step of their journey. It's one thing to say that; it's another to take the field 24 hours later and have one of the best games of your season.

The Guardians are closing in on another American League Central crown, and games like this one from Jose Ramirez show why Cleveland has been the class of the American League for so many seasons.