Tag Archives: Craig Biggio

Jose Ramirez Becomes First Cleveland Guardians Player to Reach 250 Career Home Runs & 250 Steals

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Jose Ramirez is Guard(ian)ing his legacy…

The 32-year-old Dominican professional baseball third baseman, the Cleveland Guardians’ six-time MLB All-Star, became the first third baseman in club history to reach 250 career homers and 250 steals.

Jose RamirezRamirez reached the mark on Thursday during the 10th inning of a 4-3 win against the Minnesota Twins.

Ramirez smiled broadly when the public-address announcer and scoreboard showed the milestone.

He got aboard with an RBI base hit, then stole second base and scored the game-winning run on Angel Martinez‘s single.

“At that moment, the last thing you’re thinking is any milestones or personal records,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “To me it was where we had the chance to get running, obviously get in a position where I can score with a base hit given the situation of the game.”

Ramirez is the seventh player in MLB history to record 250 career home runs and stolen bases with a single franchise, according to ESPN Research, joining Derek Jeter (Yankees), Craig Biggio (Astros), Barry Bonds (Giants), Ryne Sandberg (Cubs), Robin Yount (Brewers) and Willie Mays (Giants).

Ramirez dazzles his teammates on an almost daily basis, so it’s not a surprise to them that he has added his name to another elite list.

“It’s a testament to hard work for a really long time and being really, really good for a long time,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He came through big with the hit and then he gets the stolen base in the milestone and scores a winning run as well. He should have. He just continues to get accolade after accolade and I really enjoy watching it.”

Ronald Acuna Jr. Wins MLB’s National League Hank Aaron Award

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Ronald Acuna Jr. has picked up another prestigious honor…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves has won the 2023 Hank Aaron Awards on Saturday, presented by Major League Baseball (MLB) to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league.

Ronald Acuña Jr.,The MLB award is picked by fan balloting combined with votes from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners, a group that this year included Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Pedro Martínez, Eddie Murray, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, John Smoltz and Robin Yount.

Acuna was a unanimous winner of his first National League MVP after becoming the first big leaguer with 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a season.

Acuna was second in the NL with a .336 batting average for the Braves and led the major leagues with 149 runs, 217 hits, 386 total bases and 73 stolen bases while hitting 41 home runs with 106 RBI.

Shohei Ohtani, meantime, won the American League’s Hank Aaron Award.

The pair also won Most Valuable Player awards last month in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Ohtani was the first two-time unanimous MVP.

Every team nominated candidates for the Aaron awards and a group of MLB.com writers picked nine finalists in each league. The awards were introduced in 1999 to honor the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth‘s career home run record.

Houston Astros Star Jose Altuve Notches 2,000 Career Hits

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Jose Altuve has 2,000 reasons to smile…

The 33-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball player and Houston Astros star has notched 2,000 career hits, becoming the third player in franchise history to reach the milestone.

Jose AltuveAltuve hit a leadoff single in the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert on Saturday night.

He was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a double, but the Minute Maid Park crowd was ready to celebrate.

As Altuve trotted toward the dugout, a 2,000-hit graphic was displayed on the jumbotron and the eight-time MLB All-Star tipped his helmet to the roaring crowd. With the fans still cheering, Altuve stepped up out of the dugout for a curtain call, once again tipping his helmet.

“We did a little champagne toast and they said some things about me and then I had to say some things about me, too,” Altuve said about the postgame clubhouse celebration. “It was good.”

Hall of Famers Craig Biggio (3,060) and Jeff Bagwell (2,314) also reached 2,000 hits with the Astros. They were both in attendance on Saturday night.

Altuve also singled on Gilbert’s first pitch of the game and singled in the seventh, ending the day with 2,001 career hits. He finished 3-for-5 in a 10-3 loss to Seattle.

“That’s quite an accomplishment,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “A couple other Hall of Famers here got 2,000 hits. … Hopefully he can stay healthy and be around for the next 1,000.”

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and Chicago White Sox infielder Elvis Andrus also reached 2,000 career hits this season. Andrus got his milestone hit on April 5. Freeman accomplished the feat on June 25, and McCutchen reached the milestone on June 11.

There are seven active MLB players with at least 2,000 hits: Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Nelson Cruz, Andrus, McCutchen and Freeman.