On Saturday, the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 in the third game of their weekend series.
Cleveland got a fantastic mound performance out of rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo, who appears to be hitting his stride at the right time.
However, the focus was on two offensive players: outfielder Lane Thomas and third baseman Jose Ramirez.
Thomas kept up his excellent run of form by contributing two extra-base hits, a double and a home run, in the victory; while Ramirez also went yard and entered an exclusive club in franchise history.
It’s so exclusive that he is the only member.
“José Ramírez is the first player in Cleveland’s long franchise history to hit 35 home runs and steal 35 bases in a single season. This dude is absolutely amazing,” Codify Baseball posted on X.
José Ramírez is the first player in Cleveland's long franchise history to hit 35 home runs and steal 35 bases in a single season. This dude is absolutely amazing. pic.twitter.com/sMB6ak8RAa
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) September 15, 2024
The Guardians have had some amazing players throughout history.
Some of them have been elite power hitters: Larry Doby, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez and Travis Hafner.
Others are impressive speedsters: Tris Speaker and Kenny Lofton come to mind.
You can also spot some players who used to combine both skills: Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo are two examples.
None of them, however, had more power and speed combined that good ol’ J-Ram.
For his career, Ramirez has 251 homers and 241 stolen bases.
This year, he is at 35 long balls and 39 thefts.
He has a fair chance to be a 40-40 player if he ends the season on a high note power-wise.
Even if he doesn’t get there, he is already the only Guardian ever at 35-35.
He is, without a doubt, a future Guardian Hall of Famer.
NEXT: Guardians Bring Back Versatile Prospect And Send Down Struggling Utilityman
