The Cleveland Guardians swept the New York Mets at Progressive Field on Wednesday, winning 6-3 and taking every game of the series.
There was much anticipation before the three-game set because it marked the return of old friend Francisco Lindor to Cleveland for the first time since he left via trade in 2021.
He was met with more cheers than boos on Monday, as people do remember his contributions to the Guardians.
But, at least on Wednesday, he didn’t become the main story.
That recognition went to his old teammate and current Guardians star Jose Ramirez.
Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a double, a run, and an RBI.
With that RBI, he took over the top spot in the always important statistical category.
“José Ramírez has now passed Alec Bohm for the Major League lead in RBIs with 45,” reporter Hayden Grove tweeted.
José Ramírez has now passed Alec Bohm for the Major League lead in RBIs with 45.#Guardians
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) May 22, 2024
Ramirez has always been a timely, clutch hitter.
He has power, both over-the-fence and gap, but he has historically achieved incredible RBI numbers.
With “just” a .258 batting average, J-Ram now leads all MLB in runs batted in with 45.
We are still in May, so he projects to finish the year at well over 100 if he stays healthy.
The most impressive thing of the whole situation is that Ramirez is still far from his best form.
He entered play on Wednesday with a .800 OPS, still far from his .852 career mark.
It’s scary that he already leads MLB in RBI while not being near his best.
Despite the emergence of Steven Kwan, Tanner Bibee, Emmanuel Clase, Andres Gimenez, and Josh Naylor, Ramirez remains the most important Guardian and the leader of the team.
NEXT: David Fry Leads MLB With Elite Mark
