The Cleveland Guardians had the perfect setting to give legend Jose Ramirez a night to remember. The third baseman became the player with the most games in franchise history with 1,620, but the offense couldn’t get much going and the team lost to the Kansas City Royals 4-2.
Despite the loss, J-Ram was cheered all night as fans gave him the love he deserved after surpassing Terry Turner as the franchise leader in games.
The number proves and certifies not just Ramirez’s talent, but also his conditioning, determination, love for the organization and the city, and durability. At 33 years old, the third baseman has a chance to extend his record and surpass 2,000 games played in a few years.
The record had been standing since 1918. To think about the quality of players Ramirez has leapfrogged on this list through the years is amazing.
The Guardians posted a cool video about their ‘Cooperstown-bound’ superstar on X:
No signs of slowing down and Cooperstown bound. 🐐#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/myW4Q8f1bh
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 7, 2026
The game itself, however, was a very frustrating one for the Guardians and fans present at Progressive Field. Starter Tanner Bibee was unable to complete five innings, pitching 4.2 and allowing one run on five hits and a walk, striking out three. The offense couldn’t do much against Michael Wacha and the Royals’ bullpen.
Cleveland hitters logged just four hits all night, and Ramirez himself went 0-for-2 with a couple of walks. With the struggling Kyle Manzardo hitting right behind him, he didn’t exactly have quality protection in the lineup.
He is now hitting .146 for the season, with a .507 OPS. Everyone knows that those numbers will be on the rise soon as he gets into a groove at the plate.
Steven Kwan and Brayan Rocchio both went yard for the first time this year in the loss, accounting for the two Guardians’ runs. Peyton Pallette and Kolby Allard combined to allow three runs in four innings.
Gabriel Arias had to leave the game due to an injury, and his status is certainly worth monitoring through the week.
The two teams will do it again on Tuesday, starting at 1:10 pm ET.
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