Welcome to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network. Guardians Weekly is front
to you by Progressive helping Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance. Hi,
everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosenhouse along with you from Fenway Park
in Boston, where the Guardians are opening up a two city road swing,
three here in Boston and then three in New York at the start of next
week. Good show lined up for you today is coming up in a little
bit. We'll hear from Guardians first baseman dh Josh Bell. Also two rookie
pitchers who won in their major league debuts on the last homestand both Logan Allen
and Tanner Bibi were outstanding in their major league debuts, and we will hear
from both of them about how it went, what was going through their minds
and maybe their stomachs as say, we're taking the mound for the first time
at the major league level with great results. And we'll also hear from Guardian
Senior Vice President Bob Di Biasio about the newest inductees coming up later this summer
into the Cleveland Baseball Hall of Fame, Manny Ramirez and Dale Mitchell, that's
all coming up shortly, but first to look back at the weekend review,
and we take you back to last Sunday, Logan Allen on the mound for
his major league debut against the Marlins, and man that he looked like he
belonged from the very first pitch. Here we go, the twenty four year
old lefty Logan Allen with his first major league pitch, and it's a fastball
strike on the outside corner. And we are underway in downtown Cleveland forty six
degrees at game time, and Allan was ready to deliver pitch number two,
but the home plate umpire Lance Barksdale said, hey, toss that ball out
and have that as a keepsake. The payoff pitch swing and I missed strike
three, and there it is the first major league strike out on the first
hitter that Logan Allen faces in the big leagues. In the top half of
the third inning, the Marlins took a lead with a solo home run from
John Birdie. But in the bottom of the inning, the Guardians answered,
starting with Jose Ramirez. The one two is driven high and deep left center
field run Jose Ramirez, and just like that, the Guardians have turned it
around and moved in front two to one. Number three on the season four
Ramirez, and the next batter was Josh Bell. Here's the two two pitch
swung on and there's a high fly ball deep left field home run Josh Bell.
Back to back and the Guardians lead at three to one, Bell with
his second on the season. In the fifth, I'm ed Rosario doubled and
then Bell stayed hot at the plate. Here's the O two swung on line
to third, fairball down the line. It goes scoring easily as Rosario Bell
is on his way to second. It's dug out in that corner and left
field by day La Cruz, but Bell is in standing up with an RBI
double and the Guardians take up four to one lead. And on the mount,
Logan Allen continued his memorable debut outing Logan t Allen finishing up what's been
a tremendous effort today in his major league debut. The one two call,
strike three on the outside corner. If that's it, What a way to
finish with his eighth strikeout and he heads back to the dugout with the Guardians
in front four to one, heading to the bottom half of the sixth inning.
In the seventh, the Guardians added two more runs on a sack fly
by Jose Ramirez and an RBI ground out from Will Brennan, making it six
to one Cleveland. But in the eighth, Miami cut into that lead with
a three run home run off the bat of Abbasail Garcia, and the lead
was down to two at six to four Cleveland. But in the bottom of
the eighth, the Guardians looking to add a little insurance, and sure enough,
Jose Ramirez got it done. The pitch to him, he swings and
drives it up the alley rights center field and it one hops the wall,
speeding toward third, being waved around as Rosario. Here he comes home,
the pro not in time. Safe at home is a'med Rosario into third.
This Ramirez and the Guardians now lead it seven to four. In the ninth,
Emmanuel Closse was on trying to close it out. Here's his one two
pitch swung on brownball third base. Ramirez has it fires first in time and
the Guardians are back in the win column. On a day for Logan Allen
his first major league win, and the Big Boys offensively got it going and
the Guardians, winning by a final score of seven to four, so a
nice win to finish up the Marlins series. Miami did take two out of
three, and the same thing happened with another rebuilding ball club from the National
League, as the Rockies came to town Monday. They handed the Guardians a
six nothing defeat and backed it up on Tuesday with a five to one win.
So on Wednesday, again the Guardians trying to at least salvage the finale
of a series, and they were going to try and do it again with
a young pitcher making his major league debut. This time it was Tanner Biby,
and he looked comfortable right out of the gate. Now the payoff pitch,
a swing and a lunging pop up foul third base side. The catcher
Cam Gallagher puts it away. How about that a three two breaking ball,
and he had Crown lunging at it, and a pretty impressive first inning for
the rookie and his debut Tanner Biby. They'll check his hand, yes,
they do to all these pitchers now, and we do not have any kind
of a Max Surezer moment here. Half ending in the books. We are
scoreless and in the bottom of the first inning, the Guardians offense gave Biby
an early lead thanks to Josh Naylor. Now the O two pitch swung in
and ripped into deep right field. This ball is gone. Well, that'll
help the Cleveland Guardians can finally say they lead two to enough in Guardians on
the two out, two run home run the right field for Josh Naylor.
Guardians added to that lead in the fourth with back to back doubles, first
from Andre Simnez and then Oscar Gonzales. Marquez delivers and there's a swinging a
high fly ball to deep left. That one's headed toward the wall and it
bangs up against the fence, scoring is Himenez. In the second sliding is
Gonzalez. He's safe at second base. Close play, but Gonzalez with the
RBI double has put the Guardians in front three nothing. Meanwhile, on the
mound, Bibi continued to impress Tanner Biby with the one two delivery, swinging
and a miss strike three. As he tried to check it couldn't do it.
The appeal made to the first base umpire and Lance Barrett rung him up.
There's number eight four Tanner Bybee well, he's starting to reach some some
rarefied air in terms of strikeouts as he continues to rack him up here through
the fifth. Colorado did get on the board with a run in the sixth
inning that made it three to one Guardians, but that would be all as
Eli Morgan took care of the seventh and then Trevor Stephen was on in the
eighth. Stephen from the set, here's the payoff pitch and Bryant swings a
week chopper to short charged by Rosario Gloves throws got him. Trevor Stephen cruises
through the eighth Cleveland with a three to one lead over Colorado. Will Brennan
drove in a run with a ground out in the eighth inning that made it
four to one Cleveland, and that was plenty. As Emmanuel Class came on
to finish things off in the ninth, Claus say not wasting any time.
Here it comes a pitch swung on lazy fly to right. Will Brennan clove
up, shielding his eyes, makes the catch ballgame so the Guardians avoid the
sweep. Tanner Baby and his main JE League debut gets the wind Guardians four
rockies. One off day Thursday for the Guardians, and the opener of a
road trip on Friday night came at Fenway Park in Boston, and they didn't
waste any time. Cleveland didn't grabbing the lead. In the first inning,
Stephen Kwan and Jose Ramirez reached basse. Josh Naylor's sack fly made it one
nothing, and then Josh Bell knocked in one more. Now the pitch swung
on, hid high in the air deep left field. Looking up at the
wall is Duran. Now he leaps at the wall and it's off the Green
Monster. In the seconds, Bell in the scores Ramires to nothing. Guardians.
In the second inning, Will Brennan reached and stole second, and then
Miles Straw came through. Now the two two swung on drill the right.
That's a base hit. Brennan hits thirties being waved home. Verdugo comes up
throwing to second. Guardians leading three to nothing. So the stolen base by
Brennan and then a rifle shot the other way by Miles Straw, and this
is Guardians baseball from a year ago. Boston scored a run in the bottom
of the second to make it a three to one ball game, but in
the fourth, Mike Sanino got the run right back with one swing. Here
comes Pavetta's one two delivery, swung on and there's a high fly ball to
left. This one's hit well. Yoshita is back looking up and it's gone
a home run for Mike Sanino. It just made it over the Monster and
left front row of the Monster seats and the Guardians are now in front four
to one. Boston cut into the lead with a run in the fifth inning,
but Shane Bieber was terrific on this night and he stayed on track,
back out there getting the job done. In the seventh, the pitch he
bangs one on the ground of the second baseman himnas gobbles throws and how about
that ending. Shane Bieber gave up the leadoff double, then got the next
three hitters, only made twelve pitches in the inning. Beavers had ninety nine
pitches through seven superb innings. And he'll finish his night going seven innings,
giving up two runs and the Guards lead four to two. We go to
the eighth at Fenway. Boston threatened again. In the eighth inning. They
had runners on the corners with just one out, and this time it was
Trevor Stephen trying to hang onto the lead. Stephen hands at the belt,
he lets it fly and Cassis hits the groundball to the second baseman. He
met his drops to any Straightens throws to first. What a job by Trevor
Stephen, first and third, one out, Boston does no damage. Guardians
still lead four to two going to the ninth. Then in the ninth the
nyt a Guardians still looking for some more insurance when Will Brennan came to the
plate and he hits a line shot too deep, right down the line,
it goes near the pesky pole. Gone for a home run. He wrapped
it around pesky pole three hundred and two feet down the right field line,
and Will Brennan has his first home run and the Guardians have a five to
two lead. And that three run lead was plenty for Emmanuel Class in the
ninth as he came on to close things out. Now the set now the
two swinging a chopper. The third big hop handle by Ramirez throws across the
diamond. Bull game and Game one of this road trip starts in Fenway and
ends with a Cleveland win. The Guardians dumped the Red Sox five to two,
So a promising finish to what was a frustrating start to the week.
As the Guardians will head into play on Saturday having one two straight. Stay
with us when we come back. We'll hear from Guardians first Baseman DH Josh
Bill that comes your way next on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Baseball,
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savings will vary. Welcome back to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosenhouse back with you
from Fenway Park in Boston, where the Guardians are scheduled to play at four
ten on Saturday afternoon and then come back and finish the series at one thirty
five on Sunday afternoon. The weather reports are not good, but maybe a
little more promising for Saturday than they appear to be for Sunday, But we'll
wait and see and perhaps I can get both games in before heading to New
York for the series that starts on Monday. Josh Bell the designated hitter and
first baseman who was signed in the offseason to bring some power and RBI opportunities
to the Guardians. He's had a slow start to his season at the plate,
but lately things have been turning around, and he says that's just part
of the ups and downs in a long season. Yeah, you're right,
Um, you know, thirty evats can sway one way or another. But
you know, happy to you know, finally be hitting around my playing weight
a little bit and hopefully I have more to come and more to show.
You guys, when you talk about getting in a good stretch, how fine
a line is it between having some success out there and being in the stretch
yard now and then having some stretches where it's a tough goal. I think
it's just having the ability to have quality evats. You know, there was
a stretch there before I kind of caught fire where you know, I strung
together five or six quality evats, didn't get the results that I wanted,
might have gotten hit or two there UM, But that started everything. You
know, I stopped chasing as much, stop putting, you know, weaker
contacts in play, UM, start saying inside the ball more so, I
started barreling the ball up to the outfield, and that's that's how the game
goes. Was there any added added weight on you because it's a new team
and obviously probably want to do well right out of their shoot. I feel
like, no, more than wanting to play well in any given momentum.
Obviously I want to play well, and I think as games started to go
on, there was more and more pressure. But right from the get go,
I just want to string together quality of bats and it just wasn't happening.
And then thirty forty vats go by and I'm like, all right,
j V, it's time to turning on um. But happy that I was
able to do that and hopefully I have more to come. On Sunday,
it was you, it was I met Rosario Jose Ramirez. I think we
got an idea of what this lineup could be and how exciting was that for
the team to see everyone kind of getting involved. It was awesome. I
feel like I met it's been having some really get at bats and some some
tough luck as of late, and so it's nice to see the balls that
he hits to the outfield fall for him and then away we went. You
know, he gave us opportunities to you know, drive him in UMU.
Ramirez took advantage. I took advantage um And you know, it seems like
if we can jump on the board early and you know, keep them off
the board early, you just hand the ball off to the bullpen and let
them do their job. So you see this lineup, and I'm sure you
did some work on it, at least taking a look at it from a
year ago. Does it get kind of exciting when when you start to see
different pieces coming together. No, it's it's really exciting. I feel like,
you know a lot of the guys have only scratched the surface, like
we're not as hot as we could be. Offensively. Our our bullpens has
done a great job of winning us games or starter to I've kept us in
most of all the games that they've started. Um But oh we get gone
when you know, Kwan gets going, Rosaria keeps going. Ramirez has countless
opportunities to drive runners in um and if they want to walk him. They
can, they can deal with me. I think that, you know,
that's that's the lineup that we envisioned, you know, really causing problems in
this division and across the league. And how about your fit on this team?
It seems like you've you've blended in right away and you've been here for
a while, it seems like, but how about from your perspective, Oh,
it feels great. Um. You know, this clubhouse is a young
clubhouse. It's awesome to be in a scenario where after a game people stick
around. I've been in clubhouses where people would just want to jet and get
out, but you know, cards are still being played, they're playing video
games in the back. A lot of smiles out of cheering. Um,
And that's the way it should be. You know, the baseball's a game.
And then it definitely feels like I'm a little bit younger being on the
swub Josh, thanks slap at the time. I appreciate it. I appreciate
you for thinking that's Josh Bell. Always fun to talk hitting with him and
get his perspective as a veteran player. And there's not many in that clubhouse
has been around a little bit with some different teams and really likes what he's
seeing here with Cleveland in his first season with the ball club. Speaking of
first times around with the ball Clubgan Allen and Tanner Biby, two young pitchers,
both made their major league debuts earlier this week, and we'll visit with
both when we return after this on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Don't
go away, folks, Jim Rose an ounce back with you. It's Guardians
Weekly from Fenway Park in Boston, and it's been quite a week for two
young pictures in the Guardians farm system who made their major league debuts. First,
it was Logan Allen on Sunday, with six strong innings in a win
over Miami. We caught up with him on Monday and he talked about his
emotions the day after his first big league Outen. I feel like it still
probably hasn't said in no. It was just awesome, especially to have so
much family around and you know, feel so much love. Yesterday. It
was amazing. It was everything I could ask for. But it's still probably
doesn't feel real, but I'm sure it'll set in here. Shortly watching it
from up above, it seemed like you were completely relaxed to start the game.
But what was that walk in from the bullpen like, and then being
on the mount in the first inning. Yeah, I wanted to make sure
on the walk in from the bullpen, I took it all in so as
soon as I went out there to start the first setting that it was just
about getting out to the mount and throwing a warm of pitches and getting ready
to throw. So I think it was it was good that that walk out
from centerfield was good for me just to you know, like I said,
take it all in. But yeah, it was awesome. It was it
was everything I needed, everything I could have asked for Logan to get to
this point. As you work your way up through the minor league system,
when does it become a reality to you that hey, I'm getting close.
I think I can get to the major leagues. I would say, Yeah,
just being in Triple A last year and just seeing how how much,
you know, guys go up and down, how much, how much those
transactions happened, I think you you know, definitely seeing that you're right there.
So I think that probably that right there was this especially this year,
having a little bit of success to start the year and knowing that that that
possibility is there, and uh, just doing everything I can to be ready
for it. So I was glad that you know, came out yesterday and
was ready to go right from the first pitch. Your mom and daddy were
here, as well as a bunch of friends and family. I know you're
saying it more than you expected, but your brother Hunter was here. What
did that mean to you? Oh, that's awesome, you know, just
just for him to be here and then to see that, you know,
he's he's been with me every single offseason, you know, every single year
of my life, training and working, catching my bullpens, doing everything I
need. So I think to see all of that work, you know,
come to fruition and then yesterday it was awesome for him to see and from
my whole family as well. But I think he can definitely take a lot
of you know, enjoying the fact that he was a big, very big
step in this process. Logan, nice going, Thanks for coming back.
Thank you so much. I appreciate it. So what a day for Logan
Allen. And then just a couple of days later on Wednesday, Tanner Biby
went through the same exact thing. He's a hard throwing right hander and man
was his debut on Wednesday something else. So when over Colorado, and just
like Logan Allen, he said, it was a lot to take in,
but certainly a day he'll never forget. I mean it was crazy. I
met a lot of new people. Um, I saw a lot of new
faces. I mean, obviously different stadium than Columbus, but it was it
was a fun day. I mean, it was definitely hectic and it was
definitely it was definitely not like a problem, but it was definitely a really
quick side to figure it out. But it was it was a fun day.
I had a lot of fun. You know. It's interesting because I
feel like looking down from up above you yourself and Logan Allen both looked very
calm and collected on the mount. Um was it like that for you?
Though? In reality when when you got out there and take us from that
walk in from the bullpen, the walk in from the bullpen is kind of
when I really sat in that and when I came out of the dug out
to go to walk out to the bullpen to go start stretching and stuff.
Um, those one that kind of like the emotions start coming in like wow,
like this is one of the craziest things that's ever happened to me in
my life, like probably like number one, number two. Um, And
I think when I walked out to theirs on the first inning, it was
I mean, I was feeling so many emotions to where I was like actively
trying to keep him down. I think I needed to get like my feet
under me and needed to like get some feeling in my legs. And then
after that, I was After that I got out of the first inning,
it was I settled, NFL felt good. Did it feel just like another
normal start that you've made throughout your pro career so far? I mean no,
But I mean I mean you see guys in the box like Charlie Black
and Chris Bryant. I mean I've been watching those guys on TV for a
while and like growing up and some advice the people gave me where you just
because you know these people doesn't mean there's some like godly beings, Like they're
just baseball players. Stay with the same thing as you, and they're trying
to They're trying to beat you just as much as you're trying to beat them.
So I thought that was a good piece of helpful advice. Shane Bieberrow
is always saying how he's not a finished product yet, and he's been at
it for a while now at the major league level. How about you,
What are you still working on it that you think you can get better with?
Um? I mean, I think every single one I pitchers could get
better. I mean it's like I said, I'm a rookie if pitched one
game in the mijor leagues, and if Shane Beevers not a finished product,
I am not even close to finished product either. And I don't think anyone
will ever be a finish products until they retire, and they might not even
be happy with how they ended. So I mean, I think, could
you ask any one of these guys, pitchers, hitters, are you like
perfectly where you want to be? They're all gonna say, Now, that's
what keeps you going every day. I think if if we were all perfect,
I think we would get bored and I think that we would go find
some new hobbies. So, yeah, it was a great day on Wednesday.
I'm sure for you, thanks a lot for coming by. Thank you
when you talk about a bright future for both Tanner Biby and Logan Allen they
were outstanding in their major league debuts, and we'll see if they can carry
that through to their next albings for Alan that comes on Sunday right here at
Fenway Park. Stay with us when we come back. We'll hear from Guardian
Senior Vice President Bob Di Biacio about the two who will be inducted into the
Cleveland Baseball Hall of Fame later this summer. That comes your way shortly on
the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio and apports score, pass out of bounds. Those
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will vary to two pitch, a swing and a long prime deep who bar
manywiers has won it half up the blachers and left a two run homer on
a two two pits in the twelve Oh about these Indians they wanted in twelve
innings five to four And when he hit it, he knew it. He
just stood at home plate and watched it. Welcome back to Guardians Weekly,
Jim Rosenhouse back with you from Fenway Park in Boston and earlier this week back
home at Progressive Field. A great announcement as the Guardians announced that Manny Ramirez,
the fetored slugger from the nineties, along with Dale Mitchell who was a
big part of those great teams back in the late forties and early fifties for
Cleveland, they will be headed to the Cleveland Baseball Hall of Fame, inducted
this coming August the nineteenth at Progressive Field. They will be honored that night
and it should be a great night with Manny Ramirez in attendance. And we
had a chance to catch up with Guardians Senior Vice President Bob di Bias and
talk to him about the twenty twenty three class with a lot of discussion on
who should go in and as Bobby d says, they got to a good
place. Yes, we did, Rosie, and it's always exciting when we
can talk about the greats and franchise history. It has been a while since
we've had an induction into our Hall of Fame the seventy fifth anniversary of the
nineteen forty eight World Series champions. Dale Mitchell was an integral part of that
Championship ball club. He's one of the best left fielders in baseball at the
time, and just felt it appropriate. I think he might be the final
piece in the Hall of Fame of somebody from that incredible ball club, that
Championship ball club. Dave Garcia, our manager back in nineteen eighties early eighties,
would always talk about Rick Mann being a terrific center fielder, but then
he'd always add that he wasn't as good as Dale Mitchell, who was probably
one of the best out defensive outfielders he had ever seen play. He matched
him with Mill Willie May's, Duke Snyder, all the great names, Larry
Dobe, all the great names who played in the outfield during that period of
time. And Dale would win top fielding awards, um, you know,
most put outs and fewest airs and the fielding percentage. And I'd always asked
David because I thought I knew the history of our franchise, and I wasn't
one hundred percent aware of of Dale Mitchell because we all knew about all the
other greats on that team, and um, it just with us for all
these years. And then when we came upon the anniversary of the World Series
champion team, that this would be an appropriate year to put Dale Mitchell into
the Hall of Fame. And maybe it chose it was a different time in
baseball. Then his entire career spent with Cleveland entire, Dale Mitchell Junior and
Bo Mitchell, his two sons. I was actually Rosie at the Denver Airport
snow delay getting to spring training this year, and Bow Mitchell works with the
Colorado Rockies. Obviously, you know that oddly they're here right now. We're
playing as we interview, do this interview prior to one of our games against
the Rockies, and I thought, you know, on this snowy called day,
I'm gonna call Bow Mitchell. He's a chaplain. It was a chaplain
for the Colorado Rockies. I said, I'm gonna call him and give him
some wonderful news and just share with him our thoughts. And it was a
wonderful conversation. I think they're going to have twenty plus family members come for
the induction ceremony on August Saturday, August nineteen, so that's gonna be wonderful.
But he again one of the guys that didn't get all the fanfare,
but was an intricral part of a championship World Series, championship team. I
know, you know this stuff. You talked about his defense. Oh,
by the way, three times finished in the top five in the American League
in batting average, and his career batting average three twelve, three twelve.
Yeah, he was a bat a little bit. Yeah, No, he
was a great player, known for his defense, but also a three hundred
hitter, certainly deserving of Hall of Fame recognition. Bobby d joining us.
We're talking about the twenty twenty three Guardians Hall of Fame class, Dale Mitchell
going in and Manny Ramirez goes in. Gosh, he was such a big
part of those great teams and had some unbelievable years here in Cleveland. You
know, I heard Tito talk about him the other day, and the one
word he used was a lovable kid. That's what he was when he was
here. Just a remarkably likable, lovable young man who was blessed to be
a great hitter. But he worked his tail off. That was one thing
about Charlie Manuel as their hitting coach. You know, with Albert and Carlos
and Jimmy and Manny, they worked hard in those batting cages in early mornings
in winter Haven, and you know, to become one of the best hitters
in the game of baseball. You could argue that Manny Ramirez was one of
the best right handed hitters of his generation. Ken Griffey Junior from the left
side, Barry Bonds from the left side, and I think mcgel Cabrera.
I mean, you can you can argue man He's in that discussion. That's
how remarkable Manny Ramirez was with a bat and Bobby d He was part of
those great teams in the mid nineties. But he was the young guy,
wasn't he. It took him a little bit to fit in and find his
spot. Batted seventh or eighth in the lineup with jim Toby, and all
of a sudden, you know, he liked Jimmy crept up, you know,
into the middle of the lineup to be an impact player. I will
never forget the nineteen ninety nine season where Manny drove in still a single season
record for our franchise, one hundred and sixty five runs. He drove in
one hundred and sixty five on an offense in nineteen ninety nine, our most
prolific offense in our franchise history. In our one hundred and three year American
League history, one hundred twenty three year history in the American League, our
franchise has only scored more than a thousand runs once. That was nineteen ninety
nine. He drove in one hundred and sixty five of those runs. A
remarkable hitter. There was a story, if I may real quickly Rosy share
with you. Travis Freeman told me a story when we're sitting in the dugout
one day. Travis had announced to just a small group of people that he
was retiring, and so I asked him, we're gonna do one of those
big press conferences, you know, in the press interview room, and he
goes no, which didn't surprise anybody that he just wasn't that kind of guy.
So I asked him, I said, how about some of the media
just meet you in the dugout. Right now, I'll grab a number of
the daily media over and you can explained to them, and they can sit
on the top steps of the dugout and we can have a nice conversation.
He goes, yeah, that would be the way to do it. And
while we sat and talked, I said, give me a story about your
time with us, and he goes, oh, Manny Ramirez, And I
said what, and he goes, I was a victim of my regiment,
my discipline. When I came off the field, I put my glove and
my fielding glove and my sunglasses and everything in the same spot and the dugout,
so I knew exactly where to go get it to get back on the
field. Then I'd go get my bat. I always hit behind Manny.
One game, I go to the bat rack and my gamer's gone, and
I'm yelling at the bat boys, and I never yelled, and I'm like,
where's my gamer? And then I happened to look up and Manny is
using my bath My bat hits a double off the wall and he's like,
well, I can't go up to bat with the same bat that was just
used. This is a little league. So I don't know what to do,
so he goes, I grabbed a heavier bat. He goes, I
probably used Jim Tomy's bat so I could dribble one to second base to get
the runner over. No outs, many let off, get the guy over,
and goes, And I did so. The next time up, I
run into the dugout, put my stuff down, go grab my bat before
Manny could grab it. And I watched him and he used somebody else's bat.
He said he went four for four that day and never used his own
bat. He goes. If that doesn't say what kind of remarkable hitter he
was, I don't know what does, because you know how much we care
about our bats, and I just thought that says it right there. Just
a remarkable hitter in this game of baseball, a wonderful talent. Ended up
playing with several other teams after his time in Cleveland, but he will always
be remembered as a Cleveland Indian, no question. Yeah, we think so.
I'll never forget when after the first draft, number one draft pick,
I think thirteenth player. Overall, things are a little bit different back then.
In our player development system. We're out at baldhom Wallace College, with
our draft picks, our first time the draft picks got together and we're taking
batting practice and infield practice, and we have the media out there, and
my old friend Alan Davis, who was the TV guy for Channel five and
ended up working in our community relations department bi Lingual, so he helped Manny
in interviews for us with the group. And Manny's sitting in the batter's box
at baldhom Wallace Field and so the balhom Wallace baseball players are out watching our
draft picks in their coach saddles up to us and Manny's hitting balls and he
looked at us. He goes, I've never in all my years seen anybody
hit a ball where he's hitting him in batting practice ever, and he's doing
it on every swing. He goes, that young man is special. And
from day one he came to Cleveland at Baldenwalla's College Dagam batting practice, we
saw something incredibly special with a gentleman with a bat in his hands. Incredibly
special. He will be honored by induction into the twenty twenty three Guardians Hall
of Fame class. It will be prior to the Guardians Tigers game on August
the nineteenth, and Manny will be honored with his own bobbleheads, so that'll
be just kind of icing on the cake there from our friends at Medical Mutual.
That's a night game on a Saturday in August, and good seats are
still available at cle guardians dot com. Bobby d always great to have you
a long thanks for sharing on the Hall of Fame class for this year.
Thank you, Rosie. That's Guardians Senior Vice President Bob di Biasio talking about
the latest inductions for the Cleveland Baseball Hall of Fame, Manny Ramirez and Dale
Mitchell going in later this summer. That's going to do it for this week's
edition of Guardians Weekly. Thanks so much for tuning in as always, and
as always, thanks to Brian Matsey for helping to put together our show each
week. We'll join you next week from back home in downtown Cleveland at Progressive
Field. Until then, this is Jim Rosenhouse reminding you that you've been listening
to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Guardians Weekly has been
brought to you by Progressive helping Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance