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The Cleveland Guardians earned their MLB-best 18th win of the season on Thursday afternoon, defeating the Boston Red Sox by a final score of 6-4.
Cleveland has now won seven of its first eight series to begin the 2024 season.
Even with the day off defensively, José RamÃrez made the most substantial impact on the contest with one swing of the bat as the Guardians’ designated hitter. He finished the game with a season-high four RBI.
After hitting a single in the bottom of the first inning, RamÃrez found himself with a full count and the bases loaded with two outs in the following frame. On the 10th pitch of the at-bat, the five-time MLB All-Star turned on a 91 mph cutter for a grand slam to deep right field, extending Cleveland’s lead to 5-0. This was his fifth home run of the year, which drove in runs 20 through 23 for him on the campaign.
The grand slam was RamÃrez’s sixth of his career, which ties him for the sixth-most grand slams in Cleveland franchise history with Rocky Colavito and Andre Thornton. The swing proved to be critical, as Boston scored four unanswered runs after it occurred.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the 31-year-old advanced up the club’s career leaderboard in another category.
With a one-out single, which tied his season-high of three hits on the day, RamÃrez recorded his 1,354th career hit. This moved him past Hall-of-Famer Jim Thome for the 12th-most hits in Cleveland franchise history.
Up next, the Guardians will begin a six-game road trip with a matchup with the NL-best Atlanta Braves on Friday night at 7:20 p.m.
