Manny Ramirez was a major factor in the success of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and he then went on to win another World Series championship with the team in 2007. On the 10th and final episode of the 20th anniversary series of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, Gabby goes over Manny's decorative career in depth, including his many contributions to help fuel the 2004 team to a long-lost title.
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It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Manny Ramirez was a force to be reckoned with for the Boston Red Sox and he's one of the biggest reasons why they made their historic comeback in 2004. You are locked on Red Sox, the Daily Boston Red Sox Podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello and welcome to Lockdown Red Sox, your Daily Boston Red Sox Podcast, part of the Lock on Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm your host Gabby Holbot, former ESPN social media associate and current host of the Boston Balling Podcast as well and I am here to bring you the latest in all things Boston Red Sox, Monday through Friday, straight to your favorite podcast feed and the best part is it is all free. So you might as well check it out, Lockdown is your team every day. This episode of Lockdown Red Sox is brought to you by Booking.com. Booking.com, the right stay can make you a fan of any city, even your rivals. Check out Booking.com for your stay today. Today is Thursday, which means another special episode of Lockdown Red Sox. For those who are every day or thank you so much for tuning in to the show all the time and taking this crazy ride with me through this Red Sox season. And for those of you who are new, welcome to the show, hope I can provide you some entertainment and some insight that you can take away with you. Now, for those of you who are new, every Thursday for the last 10 weeks, I have been dropping an episode in honor of the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Boston Red Sox. And this is the 10th and final episode of the series. And what a wild ride. It's absolutely been had the pleasure of having a couple special guests on the show and Lenny Denardo and Bronson Arroyo. So if you missed those episodes, be sure to check them out as they both talked about what it was like to actually be a part of that team and make that historic comeback. Did a few player profiles, went through the ALCS and World Series games in detail. So make sure you go back and check out each episode in the series, including the ones that you missed. And you are now here on the 10th and final episode. And I thought it would only be right to honor a man who was just such a big part of the Red Sox and why they were able to do what they did in 2004. And that is many Ramirez. I mean, it cannot be emphasized enough how successful of a career he had in Boston and just how beloved he absolutely was. He just accomplished so much over the course of his career 12 time all star in 1995 and also every year from 1998 to 2008, two time World Series champion in 2004 and 2007 World Series MVP in 2004, nine time Silver Slugger award in 1995 and every year in 1999 to 2006, two time American League Hank Aaron award in 1999 and 2004, American League batting champion in 2002, American League home run leader in 2004. American League RBI leader in 1999, Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame and Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. I mean, it cannot be emphasized enough how important this guy was to really any team he was on, but especially the Boston Red Sox. So he did start his career in the minors when the Cleveland Indians, which they were at the time, selected him in the first round with the 13th overall pick of the 1991 draft and gave him a $250,000 signing bonus. He was assigned to the rookie level Burlington Indians for his professional debut and was actually named the Appalachian League MVP and was selected by Baseball America as short season player of the year while slugging 19 homers and driving in 63 runs in 59 games while leading the league in slugging in total bases. It's really crazy to think about how much this guy actually did and how quickly he made such an impact. With the single like Kinston Indians in 1992, he did battle injuries but still hit 278 with 13 homers and 63 RBIs in 81 games and he was then named as the number three prospect and the most exciting player in the Carolina League by Baseball America. And then in 1993 Ramirez was named minor league player of the year by Baseball America when he hit 333 with 31 home runs and 115 RBIs in 129 combined games with the double A Canton Akron Indians and AAA Charlotte Knights. So he certainly made a splash in those first few years of his career and people were starting to pick up that there could be a really special player in here and sure enough, they ended up realizing that was a true understatement. Ramirez made his major league debut on September 2, 1993 against the Minnesota Twins going hitless in four at bats as the DH. The following day when the Indians took on the Yankees, he went three for four with his first two home runs with many of his family and friends and attendance at Yankee Stadium. So him owning the Yankees started very early on in his career, which was a beautiful thing. His first career base hit was actually against Melido Perez. His first MLB hit off Perez was an automatic double that bounced into the left field seats as left field or Paul O'Neill pursued it. Many who saw the ball in the seats continued running thinking he had hit a home run before returning to second base, which was really funny. But then he flew out to O'Neill in his next played appearance and homeward in his final two at bats. So he definitely brought some character to the game and certainly was sure to show that in Boston too. In 1994, which was his first full season in the majors, Manny had a strong start to the season hitting six home runs during the month of April. Despite a week start to May, he rebounded in the latter half of the month, finishing with a 300 batting average for that month. During the season, the Indians had been chasing the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central all the way until the end of the year. However, the team season did end in August due to the 1994 MLB strike, which was an absolutely crazy time, it was the eighth and longest work stoppage in major league baseball history, as well as the fourth in season work stoppage in 22 years. The strike actually began on August 12th and resulted in the remainder of that season, including the postseason and World Series being canceled, which was absolutely insane. 948 games were canceled as a result of the strike and MLB did become the first ever major professional sports league to lose an entire postseason due to a labor dispute. So it was a crazy time for baseball and so every player definitely probably missed being out there and had to get back into the swing up things when they got back. Ramirez ended up finishing second in the rookie of the year award voting after batting 269 with 17 home runs and 60 RBIs in 91 games. So he had just a very strong few years, but his breakout season really came in 1995 when he batted 308 with 31 home runs and 107 RBIs. In July of that year, he was selected to his first all-star game and won his first career Silver Slugger award following the season. That year, the Indians reached the postseason and Manny hit two home runs in the 1995 ALCS against the Mariners, which the Indians did win in six games. They then took on the Braves in the World Series and he batted 222 with one home run in the Indian six game loss. In December 1995, he then agreed to a $10.15 million four year contract. He continued to hit well in 1996 when he batted 309 with 33 home runs and 112 RBIs. His team again reached the playoffs that year and he batted 375 with two home runs and the teams lost to the Orioles in the division series. And then in 1997, his contacts continued to improve, but his power did dip slightly. He hit 328 with 26 home runs and 88 RBIs. The Indians again reached the World Series and he batted just 154 with two home runs in that series when the Indians lost to the Florida Marlins in seven games. In 1998, Manny experienced a big increase in power on his way to becoming one of the great run producers in the game. He batted 294 with 45 home runs and 145 RBIs and was selected to his second all-star game where he recorded a sacrifice fly in RBI. He batted 357 with two home runs during the ALDS versus the Red Sox, which the Indians unfortunately won in four games. And then in the ALCS against the Yankees, he batted 333 with two home runs, but his team lost that in six games. Following the season, he did come in sixth place in American League MVP voting. So he always stood out from the start. He then began 1999 on a hot streak, hitting 337 with seven home runs in the month of April. His hot hitting continued all season as he batted 364 in May and reached the all-star break with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs. At that time, it was the third highest single season total for RBIs by the all-star break in MLB history behind only Hank Greenberg, who had 103 in 1935 and Juan Gonzalez, who had 101 in 1998. On September 30, 1999, Manny broke the Indians' single season RBI record, which was previously 162 by Hal Trotsky in 1936 by hitting a three-run home run, giving him 164. Despite missing 15 games, he then finished 1999 with 165 RBIs, which was the highest total by any player since Jimmy Fox in 1938, and he batted an eye-popping 383 against left-handed pitchers and also batted 383 with runners in scoring position and 377 with men on base. He finished third in the ALMVP award voting that year, but did struggle in the 1999 post season, going just one for 18 as the Indians were eliminated by the Red Sox in five games in the ALDS. Then in 2000, Manny did have a rough go. He was limited to 118 games due to injuries, but recorded a career-high 351 batting average along with 38 home runs and 122 RBIs. His return is believed to have started a major comeback that led the Indians to a final record of 90 and 72 and cut the number of games they were behind the leader of the AL Central, which was the Chicago White Sox from 11.5 games down to 7.5 games in just a month. Because of his return, Roberto Alomar, Omar Viscuel and Kenny Lofton all started getting better pitches to hit, which also significantly increased their batting average. Despite that comeback, though, the Indians failed to make the post-season finishing five games behind the White Sox in the division. With free agency looming for Manny, he homered in his final game at bat in an Indians uniform, which was on October 1st against Toronto in front of the home fans at Jacobs Field. So he had quite a career in an Indians uniform, and it really did kickstart all the success he had in Boston, and coming up, I'm going to be talking about just how much he really made an impact on the Boston Red Sox, particularly in 2004, but also in general when he was wearing that uniform. You know that instant confidence boost you get from an outfit that makes you look really good? That's what I get with Stitch Fix. With Stitch Fix, you get a stylist who understands your style, size, and budget. They do all the shopping for you. It's the easiest way to update your wardrobe this season. Easily upgrade your wardrobe this year with a professional stylist that helps you find new on trend favorites that will work for you. Stitch Fix makes it all look so easy. 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Also check out locked on sports today, the first ever National Sports 24/7 streaming channel that's available on YouTube and Amazon Fire TV in the free Fire TV channels app. It will keep you up to date on all things going on in the sports with all of our experts here at locked on. So make sure that you check that out today if you want to stay in the loop. Manny Ramirez was a huge part of the 2004 Boston Red Sox and a big reason for the team's success that year. He contributed a ton in the postseason towards that Red Sox historic run and he really didn't take much time at all to make an impression in the major leagues when he first started his career with the Indians. And then in November 2000 after that season concluded, the Indians did offer him a seven year $119 million contract, which would have made him the highest paid player in baseball. But he and his agent, Jeff Moore had rejected it because they were seeking a 10 year $200 million contract. He was reportedly pursued by both the Yankees and Mariners at the time. But in December, he ended up agreeing to an eight year $160 million deal with the Red Sox with $20 million options for 2009 and 2010, which ended up pushing the total value of the contract to $200 million for 10 years. He didn't waste any time to deliver for the Red Sox hitting 408 in April 2001. He had another really strong first half, a massing of 335 batting average with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs at the 2001 all-star break. He did miss some time battling hamstring injuries and struggled down the stretch, but he finished the 2001 season at 306 with 41 home runs and 125 RBIs, setting the season franchise record of hitting the most home runs as a first year Red Sox player. On July 23rd of that year, he hit two monstrous home runs against the Blue Jays at Fenway with the second one hitting the very top of the Lake Tower and left field. Its length was literally listed at 501 feet, which was the second longest by a Red Sox player in Fenway Park's history, just short of Ted Williams' 1946 record of 502 feet. He also launched a huge home run in an away game on June 3rd against the Blue Jays into the fifth deck at the Skydome, which still stands as the longest home run in the ballpark's history at 491 feet. He was just mashing baseballs and just making a huge impact right away with Boston, but unfortunately, the Red Sox did not qualify for the postseason that year. He was primarily a right fielder in his career up to that point, but spent most of the season as the DH for the Red Sox due to the team's belief that he was best suited at left field due to the presence of trot Nixon in right, as well as also the injuries he had battled during the 2001 season. After he signed with the Red Sox, he only played seven more games in right field, all of which came during the 2002 season. He did only play in 120 games in 2002 due to a hamstring injury that put him on the disabled list from mid-May to the end of June. Despite that, though, he still won the American League batting title, hitting 349, which included 438 against the lefties and his 647 slugging percentage was second in the league behind Jim Thones' 677. He again reached the 30 home run and 100 RBI marks, posting 33 home runs in 107 RBIs. He also hit his 300th career home run on August 26 against Angels Ramon Ortiz, which was the first of two home runs on the night for him as he went five for five overall, but the Red Sox again failed to qualify for the postseason in 2002. Then came 2003, the dreaded ending to a season that was an absolute nightmare for the Red Sox. He again posted strong offensive numbers, though, finishing with a 325 average, 37 home runs and 104 RBIs. The second half surge of newly acquired David Ortiz gave the Red Sox a formidable 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup, but in the summer, Manny ended up missing several games with Faron Jaitis, but got into hot water as he was spotted in a bar in the hotel where he lived with a close friend in Yankees infielder Enrique Wilson, despite being supposedly too ill to play in the series against the Yankees. Basically, Manny and Wilson both said that Manny was just talking to his friend in that setting and not actually drinking or partying as the media had speculated. So as a result, Boston manager Grady Little benched him for one game. Despite that distraction, though, the Red Sox did finish the season 95 and 67 qualifying for the playoffs for the first time with Manny in their uniform. In the decisive fifth game of their division series match up against the athletics, Manny broke a sixth inning one-to-one tie by launching a go-ahead three-run homer off Barry Zito that set up an ALS showdown with the rival Yankees. Then in a LCS game three, he was at the center of a bench-clearing brawl. Basically early in the game, Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez had hit Yankees outfielder Kareem Garcia up high with a pitch, sparking very heated dialogue, and a hard slide by Garcia into Red Sox second baseman Todd Walker that had exacerbated the tensions. Then in the very next inning, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens threw a pitch high and inside to Manny, and Manny ended up charging the mound, sparking the melee, and the Red Sox lost the game four to three. Despite his strong play overall in the ALCS, where he hit three, ten with two homeruns, the Red Sox lost in devastating fashion. In game seven on Aaron Boone's infamous extra inning walk-off homerun, absolutely terrible, no memories that we need to relive. But during the offseason that followed, the new Red Sox ownership led by John Henry and management tried to rid themselves of Manny's massive contract, despite his high level of production. Are you surprised, I mean, John Henry, thinking about things being too expensive, I'm not surprised, believed to be necessary in pursuit of a trade for shortstop Alex Rodriguez. The team put Manny on irrevocable waivers, thus making him available to any team willing to assume the remainder of his contract. However, all other 29 teams passed on the opportunity to claim him due to the high cost, and that's when a rod was acquired by the Yankees instead. So Manny stayed with the Red Sox, and in 2004, the very special season was just a big part of the team's comeback. In that year, he led the American League in home runs with 43, slugging percentage with a 613, and an OPS at 1.009. He finished second and errors committed as a left fielder with seven, third and RBI's with 130, fourth in doubles with 44, and total bases with 348, sixth in on base percentage with a 397, eighth in walks with 82, tenth in runs with 108, and he posted a 308 batting average. He also led the AL in salary at $22.5 billion, but I'd say it was very worth it, based on all of those numbers I just listed, and basically in summary, he was just one of the best players in the sport at that time. In addition, Manny and Big Poppy became the first pair of American League teammates to hit 40 home runs, have 100 RBIs, and bat 300 since Yankees Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931. Together, they hit back to back home runs six times, tying the Major League single season mark, set by Tigers Hank Greenberg and Rudy York, and later matched by White Sox Frank Thomas and Maglio Ordonias, I mean, all legends Hank Greenberg was so good at baseball. In the MLB all-star game in 2004, Manny had a two-run homer off Roger Clemens in the top of the first inning to give his teammates a three to nothing lead. And then Ramirez, Derek Jeter, with a single Ichiro Suzuki with a double and Ivan Rodriguez with a triple, became the first all-star quartet that combined to hit for the cycle during the same inning. Isn't that absolutely nuts? The Red Sox again did qualify for the postseason that year as we all know, and Manny just continued his hot hitting then. He hit 385 in the ALDS, leading the Red Sox to a sweep over the Angels and setting up a rematch in the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees. He did not drive in a run in the ALCS, but he still hit 300 when the Red Sox completed that historic comeback from down three games to zero to win in seven against the Yankees, which was absolutely amazing. And the whole purpose of us doing this entire series on this show in the first place. That then set up a showdown with a St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series as the Red Sox attempted to end the curse of the Bambino and win their first championship since 1918. Manny proceeded to hit 412 with a homerun and four RBIs in that four-game sweep of the Cardinals as the Red Sox won their first title in 86 years. His homerun actually came in the first inning of game three off Cardinal starter Jeff Supon continuing a streak throughout the series where the Red Sox scored in the first inning of each game. Manny's 2004 season was capped off by being named World Series MVP, and he also finished third in AL MVP voting just ahead of teammate Ortiz who finished fourth. He had a remarkable season in 2004, and it was so fun to watch him play because he was truly the glue that helped keep that team together along with David Ortiz, one of the best duos of all time in the sport, and Manny's contributions to that team cannot be emphasized enough as he was absolutely red hot in that World Series. I'm going to be talking about the last few seasons in his career with the Red Sox, and it's really important after all the accomplishments that he made leading into 2004, so you definitely won't want to miss it. This episode of Lockdown Red Sox is brought to you by Booking.com. Booking. Yeah, with summer travel heating up, especially travel for baseball games, it's time to explore those US cities you always secretly wanted to learn more about. Yes, we're talking about your rivals cities. With hotels, bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals, resorts, and so much more on Booking.com, you might just find your perfect stay even in your baseball rivals city. 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Also, just a reminder to check out Lockdown Sports today, the first-ever National Sports 24/7 streaming channel on YouTube and Amazon Fire TV and the free Fire TV channels app You Will Not Be Disappointed, it's something that we launched to keep you up to date on all things going on in the sports, so make sure you check that out. Manny Ramirez just had a phenomenal career with the Boston Red Sox and his contributions to the 2004 season were just unmatched and something that was so special. And then in 2005 on May 15th, he hit his 400th home run off heel Mecke of the Mariners. On July 5th, he hit his 20th career Grand Slam and his third of the season off Chris Young of the Rangers. On defense, though, he tied for the lead among all major league left fielders and errors with seven. He posted his highest single-season RBI total as a Red Sox in 2005, driving in 144 runs to go along with his 45 homers. While he batted just 292, which was his first time under 300 since 1998, along with teammate David Ortiz, who drove in 148 runs, the duo combined to drive in an outstanding 292 runs total. Ortiz finished second in Ramirez' fourth in MVP voting to winner A-Rod. Off the field, this season was one of a lot of conflict for Manny, persistent trade rumors generally involving the Mets, dogged him all a season. And then after the Red Sox were eliminated in the first round of that year's playoffs by the eventual World Series Champion White Sox, he once again expressed a wish to be traded. This actually included a threat to not show up for spring training if his latest demand was not met by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. In December 2005, he put his Ritz Carlton condominium up for sale and trade rumors just continued to circulate with him possibly going to the Orioles or the Mets, but no deal ended up being reached. And then by January 5th, 2006, he changed his mind, stating that he was dropping the demand and his agents in turn insisted that he was still open to a trade, but still no deal material buys. So he just went through a whirlwind of different things, but ended up staying with the Red Sox. And on June 10th, 2006, he became the 31st player in history to hit 450 home runs with a solo home run off Francisco Cordaro of the Rangers. But then three weeks later on July 1st, he collected his 2000th hit. Beginning in mid July, he had a 28 game hitting streak, including 12 multi hit games, eight home runs and 28 RBIs. He reached 100 RBIs for the ninth consecutive season on August 20th in a series against the Yankees, but missed 28 games from mid August on with soreness in his right knee. Manny finished at 321 with 35 home runs and 102 RBIs. And he also drew a career high 100 walks in 2006, which was the only time in his career that he reached that mark. The Red Sox ended up missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season that year. But we all know how the 2007 season ended for Boston in another World Series championship. On April 22nd, 2007, Manny was the first of four Red Sox batters to Homer and consecutive at bats in a game against the Yankees with their pitcher being chased right. This was tying a league record when JD Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Baratak followed Manny with long balls of their own. On April 29th, he became the fifth player to hit 50 career home runs against the Yankees. Manny finished 2007 with a 296 batting average, 20 home runs and 88 RBIs ending his streak of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in a season at nine. His season was cut short when he strained his left oblique in late August during a Yankee series, but he did return to the lineup for the final home stand of the season because he is just tough as nails and could not stand not being out there, which is one of the biggest things I love about him. In 2007, he had the highest fielding percentage among left fielders in the American League with 990 tied for second in the majors. He was ranked sixth highest in range factor of all AL left fielders with 1.72 16th in both leagues but had the lowest zone rating among MLB left fielders with 100 plus games with a 0.713. He made two errors during the 2007 season and left field and tied for sixth overall in the majors and assists from left field. In the postseason, Manny had a walkoff three run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning of game two of the ALDS against the Angels, breaking a three to three tie as he launched the ball over the monster seats beyond the left field wall. And then in the fourth inning of the series final game, he combined with Ortiz to hit back to back home runs off pitcher Jared Weaver. The home run tied him with Bernie Williams for first place all time in postseason home runs with 22. The Red Sox advanced to the ALCS against the Indians where on October 13th, Ramirez hit his 23rd postseason home run actually passing Bernie Williams for the most all time. He helped the Red Sox to reach and win the 2007 World Series where they swept the Rockies by batting a combined 348 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in the postseason. Manny earned his second World Series ring as the Red Sox earned their seventh title such as special season for them. And then in 2008, Manny started with the Red Sox defending their crown and with him himself stating he wanted to play six more years and then retire as a member of the Red Sox, which was so special. He just loved Boston, loved playing there, had already won two World Series championships with the team. So he wanted to stay. He played in his 2000th game on May 26th, 2008 against the Mariners. And then on May 31st, he hit his 500th home run against Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chad Bradford at Camden Yards in the seventh inning on the first pitch. He became the 24th player in MLB history to do that and joined two other Boston legends and Jimmy Fox and Ted Williams. They were the ones that were in the exclusive home run club as members of the Boston Red Sox. Then a heated altercation between Manny and teammate Kevin Eucalyce took place on June 5th during a game at Fenway against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Boston Globe actually speculated that Eucalyce was angry that Manny had been slow to join a benches clearing brawl earlier in the game. The altercation may have also been caused by Manny objecting to what he believed was excessive complaining by Eucalyce about the strike zone, as well as the first baseman's pension for sometimes throwing his helmets in frustration after making an out. Before the fifth inning, Ramirez was actually caught on Nessen cameras, taking a swing at Eucalyce. The two yelled at each other and had to be separated by teammates, coaches and training staff, Eucalyce headed out to the field, still yelling at Manny while Manny ended up being escorted into the tunnel leading to the clubhouse by bench coach Brad Mills and trainer Paul Lissar. Then later in the season during a series with the Houston Astros, Manny had a physical altercation with elderly Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick. The two were arguing over McCormick's inability to fill Ramirez's large game day request for 16 tickets to the game in Houston, Manny pushed the 64-year-old McCormick to the ground after telling him, "Just do your job." The two were then quickly separated and Manny later offered a public apology but did not apologize to McCormick in person until 2014, so lots of time passed there. The matter was dealt with internally and Manny was fined $10,000 to $15,000. On July 25th, after sitting out a game against the Mariners with a sore knee, Manny was slated to start against the Yankees but several minutes before the game, he informed manager Terry Fran Kona through a bench coach that he would not be playing. During the series, he was directed to an area hospital for MRIs on both his knees, but the results show no damage, which was fantastic. When he was back in action, he frequently failed to run out ground balls, assuming that this was due to his displeasure about his contract situation. He could become a free agent at season's end, but the Red Sox held two years of team options that they had not yet exercised. So many Red Sox fans and reporters, including Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, called for Manny to be traded because of the lack of effort they were seeing on the field. Despite all of these distractions, Manny did continue to just be a solid hitter when on the field as he batted to 99 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs through the first 100 games of the season. Then on July 31st, 2008, he was finally traded to the LA Dodgers in a three way deal. The Red Sox acquired outfielder Jason Bay and minor league infielder Josh Wilson and the pirates got infielder Andy LaRoche and pitching prospect Brian Morris from the Dodgers and outfielder Brandon Moss and pitcher Craig Hanson from the Red Sox. Manny had always worn uniform 24, but the Dodgers had retired that number in honor of Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston. So he instead chose to wear number 99 with the Dodgers. He had a fantastic stretch with the Dodgers as well, but he will certainly always be remembered for his time with the Boston Red Sox because that's certainly where he made the most impact with the two World Series championships and just being part of such a special group. But what a guy to be at the glue to a 2014 that was just so special and just overcame so many obstacles to win the World Series that year. Such a special team, happy 20th anniversary to that special group of guys on making history within Major League Baseball and making us Red Sox fans proud to be fans of that team that plays at Fenway Park. As always, keep the faith, go Red Sox and I will catch you on the flip side. (upbeat music)
