Jose Ramirez Says He Offered His Teammates $500 Per RBI and $1000 Per Home Run Before Game 5 vs. Tarik Skubal
Listen if Jose Ramirez retired on Saturday before Game 5 of the ALDS vs. the Tigers even started, he'd still go down as my favorite all-time Cleveland Indians / Guardians player. The fact that this franchise has time and time again developed young players into stars, until they inevitably chase the larger dollar signs on teams where the owners can afford them owners will spend money, has pained me for over 2 decades now. Lindor, Thome, CC, Cliff Lee, etc etc etc etc etc. If they were good, they left us for the bag. And I can't even blame them. If someone offered me millions of dollars to play in another city, I'd have to take them up on it as well. I mean shit, I left Cleveland and Columbus for the bag in Chicago! But you know who didn't do that? You know who turned down the bag to STAY IN CLEVELAND? Jose Ramirez. And that's why my love for him will never change.
....until this story. It just got stronger.
Now we all know Jose likes to joke a lot, so I'm not 100% sure he's not joking in his interview here. But also, I think he's serious? I think he really stood up in the clubhouse before Game 5 against Tarik Skubal and said boys, this is now a Bounty Game. Kwan hitting it back up the middle in his first at-bat proves it. But with a $500 per RBI price tag and $1000 per Home Run....I need to get out my phone calculator for what Jose now owes Lane Thomas for his 5th inning Grand Slam.
Carry the 1, bring it down, times 4, wait he had another one too, holy shit Jose Ramirez owes Lane Thomas a million dollars? It's about damn time Lane got paid!!! And he also owes himself $500....
No way an offer like that actually moves the needle, right? Just more to get the vibes up. But then again, I fucking love that Jose is willing to pay money to his teammates to play well. Like a grandma offered $20 per goal you score in 5u soccer. And damnit, it worked. Man, what a series. What a memory. Game 1 we score 5 before they get an out. Game 2, Skubal shuts us out and Clase gives up a 3-run bomb in the 9th. Game 3, they go home and beat us. THE DETROIT FREE PRESS WRITES THAT THE SERIES IS OVER. We still Game 4 in the late innings right under their nose. And then Tarik Skubal....the alleged Cy Young....looks dominate for 5 innings until he simply doesn't. Until Lane Thomas etched his name in Cleveland Guardians lore. And in all honesty....biggest home run in Guardians history? That was fucking epic. Here's a crowd angle for the memories:
I can't believe we gotta get up again and do it all over in New York tonight. I'm still worn out from that series. I just hope the boys aren't still hungover. Can't blame them if they are though…