Hanley Ramirez On Big Game: 'Just Trying To Wake Everybody Up'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Usually, Hanley Ramirez is the one who needs to wake up. On Sunday, he was the one jolting everyone else.
The Red Sox designated hitter went 4-for-4 with three RBIs in the team's 10-3 season-saving win over the Houston Astros, leading the way in a sudden offensive explosion. The Fenway Park crowd, quieted after a three-run first inning by the Astros that gave them that "Here we go again" feeling, erupted in the third inning when Ramirez singled to left field to score Mitch Moreland and cut the deficit to 3-2. Rafael Devers followed with a two-run homer to put the Red Sox up 4-3 and they never looked back.
After starting Game 1 of the ALDS on the bench, Ramirez was forced back into the Red Sox lineup after Eduardo Nunez left with a knee injury. He's gone 6-for-10 in the series since, and looks committed to winning and helping lift the Red Sox offense - something that hasn't exactly been his calling card over the course of his tenure.
"The Red Sox are an unbelievable team and it's a winning team. It's about winning here. This attitude we have, everybody here wants to win and we just try to continue that legacy to keep going on this team," Ramirez told reporters after the game. "There are a lot of young guys here that are going to play here for a long time, so I'm just trying to wake everybody up."
Ramirez now has a .373 career batting average and 1.029 OPS in the postseason, knocking in 14 runs in 19 games. Perhaps it shouldn't be so surprising that this version of Hanley has shown up just at the right time.
