TAMPA -- Guardians manager Stephen Vogt does not flinch when asked about José Ramírez and his ongoing assault on the club's all-time statistical leaderboards. Vogt believes that Ramírez will simply continue climbing the ranks as long as there is breath in his lungs.
On Sunday, Ramírez capped a spectacular weekend series in Tampa by driving in his 938th career run, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Jim Thome for sole possession of second place on Cleveland's all time list since the RBI became a stat in 1920. Earl Averill (1,084) is the franchise leader.
Saturday saw the seven-time All-Star move into second place on the club's all-time stolen base list at 280 after breaking a tie with Omar Vizquel.
"He's going to keep doing this as long as he's in Cleveland, because he's one of the best players on the planet," Vogt said. "It's just so much fun and a treat that we all get to watch him every single day."
Ramírez, speaking through team interpreter Agustin Rivero after Sunday's 2-1 win against Tampa Bay, said climbing both lists is a reflection of the way he wants to be regarded as a player.
"I think both are really important," Ramírez said. "Both are part of my game. Playing aggressive, trying to score any way possible. So, for me both are really important."
Ramírez batted .438 (7 for 16) in the four-game series with a 1.346 OPS. He collected a home run, triple, two doubles, a steal and four RBI. Ramírez also extended his streak of consecutive games with an extra-base hit to four, marking the 24th time in his career that he has hit for extra-bases in four straight contests.
The numbers can be overwhelming at times, but not at all unexpected, according to Ramírez's teammates. Cade Smith said it is unbelievable to watch the 32-year-old play every day.
"The effort and intensity with which he plays, the dedication to playing the game hard, playing the game the right way is something I love to watch, and I'm very glad he's on our team," Smith said.
Ramírez was asked about players he modeled his running game after once he got into professional baseball. For Ramírez, growing up in the Dominican Republic, the base runner that always stood out to him was fellow Dominican speedster José Reyes.
Reyes played 16 seasons, mostly with the Mets, and amassed 517 steals while scoring 1,180 runs.
"He was a player that I always admired that way, how aggressive he was and how much he liked to run as a part of his game," Ramírez said. "I was always looking up to José Reyes."
Sunday's homecoming win for rookie left-hander Parker Messick included a crowd of around 250 supporters from his nearby hometown of Plant City, Fla. in the stands at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Asked whether or not he could hear his cheering section from the mound, Messick's response was incredulous:
"How could you not?" he said. "They're as loud as it gets, they've always been that way."
One voice in particular was inescapable. Messick's father, T.J. sounded his approval after every strikeout and every big play that got his son closer to a win.
"He's the one voice that just kind of sticks out, that's his personality," Messick said of his father. "You can tell him a million times to just chill out and relax and watch your son pitch, but that's just him and he's going to do that. Maybe one day he'll just be able to just sit back there and relax. But you never know, it's always fun to hear his voice pierce through the stands."
Messick called Sunday's win a "full-circle moment" for a kid who made the trip to Tropicana Field to watch the Rays in the 2008 World Series as an 8 year old.
"You had guys like Evan Longoria, David Price, James Shields, Carl Crawford, and Carlos Pena. I could go through and list pretty much their entire lineup," Messick said. "That was my team when I was a kid."
Walking out of the ballpark, even if it's not the Trop, made that 8-year-old kid feel 10 feet tall.
"You can't even explain it," Messick said. "You can't draw it up any better. It is just awesome for me to be able to do that, and I'm happy for our guys and happy that the friends and family get to see it."
Cleveland relievers combined to post 11 1/3 scoreless innings in winning three of four games against the Rays. Smith said that's the goal for each guy out of the bullpen: to throw a zero on the scoreboard when his name is called.
"We know that we're playing meaningful games," Smith said. "We want to do everything we can to make sure that those games stay closed or that we protect the lead because guys in the dugout have worked hard to manufacture a lead and things like that."
Smith said the results in Tampa speak to the bullpen's consistency in the face of tremendous upheaval this season.
"That's been our approach," Smith said. "That's still the philosophy down there. Every guy is sharing that same mindset, that what we're trying to do is win the game today and we'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow."