Jose Ramirez took the blame after two costly mistakes sank the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. A day after his bat helped Cleveland win the opener, Ramirez left third base uncovered on Chandler Simpson's fourth-inning infield chopper, then misplayed Ben Williamson's grounder for an error. The miscues led to three unearned runs, and the Rays evened the best-of-seven series with a 3-1 win Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Ramirez, a seven-time All-Star who has finished among the top five in MVP voting six times, said the surface played faster than expected. "The ball bounced right on the edge between the dirt and the turf, and that's what made it a little more difficult for me. I tried to knock it down," he said through an interpreter. "It's frustrating. I feel bad because I wasn't able to make that play and after that the runs came in."
The Guardians' fourth inning began with Victor Mesa Jr. on first and two outs in a scoreless game. Simpson beat out a high chopper to shortstop, and Ramirez, shifted toward second base, watched the shortstop throw to first. Mesa rounded second and sped to third as Ramirez tried in vain to catch up. Four pitches later, Williamson's two-hopper skipped between Ramirez's legs into left, allowing Mesa to score. Liam Hicks then delivered a two-run single that gave the Rays a 3-0 lead.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Ramirez "kind of got stuck" and did not move his feet. "They've done that all year. When they smell blood, they take it and run," Vogt added. "We had some sloppy plays in the field that we need to clean up."
Ramirez had three hits and scored twice in Cleveland's 7-3 opening win, and he homered in Games 4 and 5 of the division series, when Cleveland overcame a 2-0 deficit to advance.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing