Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Brace For José Ramírez After His 'Incredibly Hot' Start to Season

Ramírez has roared out of the gates in 2022, hitting .426/.472/.830 to start the season.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — The Yankees and their pitching staff will have their hands full this weekend in the Bronx, trying to stop José Ramírez.

Cleveland's infielder is off to an unreal start to the 2022 season, leading Major League Baseball with a .426 batting average (20-for-47) in 12 games played. The switch-hitter has hit five home runs to go along with a 1.301 OPS and 20 RBI. 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about the three-time All-Star and perennial MVP candidate in the American League before Friday night's series opener.

"He's a good defender, runs the bases really well. Those are secondary when he gets in the box, man," Boone said. "He's on top of the plate, but it's hard to crowd him. He gets the balls in, gets to them for power, but because he's on the plate too, he shrinks that plate down a little bit. 

"He's just a great player. I mean, he's a great all around player and obviously comes in here incredibly hot."

It won't be easy for Ramírez against New York's staff, though. The Yankees enter play on Friday with the best cumulative ERA in the league (2.58), holding opponents to a .210 batting average (the third-best mark in the AL).

Yankees starters have allowed three runs or less in each of their 13 starts this season as well, posting a 1.91 ERA with 44 strikeouts over their last nine outings.

On Friday night, Ramírez and the Guardians will face New York's right-hander Jameson Taillon. Left-hander Nestor Cortes and ace Gerrit Cole are scheduled to toe the rubber in the Bronx over the weekend. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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