CINCINNATI, Ohio — José Ramírez kept two streaks alive with one swing of the bat in the eighth inning of Friday night’s 5-4 Guardians loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
With two outs and facing a 1-1 count, Ramírez, who was 0 for 3 at the time, ripped a Tony Santillan fastball 401 feet into the right field seats for his ninth home run of the season.
The homer cut the Guardians’ deficit to one.
For Ramírez, it not only extended his hitting streak to a season-long 10 games, but it was his third straight game with a homer. He has now done it nine times in his Major League career.
“I never worry about Hosey. He’s always gonna get it going,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Even when he’s not hitting all over the place, he’s getting on base, making things happen. So you just sit back and watch and enjoy the show.”
Just how much has Ramirez been surging of late?
Five of his nine homers this season have come in the month of May, with four during this 10-game hitting streak, and Ramirez has hit in 12 of the 13 games this month.
He is hitting .417 (10 for 24) with four homers and six RBI in his last seven games, striking out only twice. His batting average entered May at .264 and is now .294.
And in May, he has an OPS of 1.136.
Just like his manager, Guardians catcher Bo Naylor isn’t surprised that Ramirez is catching fire as the weather heats up.
“We’re kind of in it with him one pitch at a time,” said Naylor, who also hit a home run on Friday. “When we see him every day going out there, running out every play, barreling balls to all parts of the field, it’s almost like we feel like he’s always hot. I think that’s the general mindset amongst the guys. Like I said, it’s super special.”
Carlos Santana has also been around plenty of Ramirez’s hot streaks. They have been teammates for eight of Ramirez’s 13 seasons in Cleveland, with Santana rejoining the Guardians for 2025 after stints with the Royals, Mariners, Pirates, Brewers and Twins from 2021 to 2024.
“Me and him, we talk about hitting all the time and he’s one of the best hitters in the league. So right now, he got hot,” Santana said. “He plays hard every day. He prepares every day. So he’s no surprise for me.”
Santana extended his own streak on Friday night when he hit a two-run single in the fourth to get the Guardians on the board after facing a 5-0 deficit. His RBI hit extended his on-base streak to 18 games.
The single was his first hit in five games, but he drew five walks in the four previous games that he went hitless, including his 1,300th career walk on Wednesday in a 9-5 loss to the Brewers.
Their recent run of form has the Guardians, including Naylor, appreciating what they’re bringing to their lineup of late.
“It’s special. I’m in a unique view where I get to see them prepare every day. Not just their swings in a cage, but also for their plans for the pitcher that we’re gonna face,” Naylor said. “It’s very unique. It’s very special and you can definitely see how they’ve had such amazing careers to this point. So it’s inspiring.”
