Date of birth: 30 May 1972
Primary position: Left Fielder
Elected to Red Sox Hall of Fame: 2020
Arguably the greatest right-handed batter ever in club history, Manny Ramirez sent the first pitch he saw at Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox over the Green Monster, just as Tony Conigliaro did in 1964. Over the next seven-plus seasons, the eccentric flycatcher, raised in the shadows of Yankee Stadium, would hit another 273, which places him fifth all-time amongst Boston sluggers past and present, at an amazing rate of 14.4 at-bats per home run. Among the more memorable ones was career home run number 500 in May 2008; in doing so, he became only the third player to accomplish that feat in a Boston uniform, joining two other legendary sluggers in Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams.
His other numbers with the club speak for themselves; amongst franchise career leaders, he ranks ninth all-time in batting average (.312), sixth in runs batted in (868), fifth in on-base percentage (.411), and fourth in slugging percentage (.588). The respect opposing pitchers had for Ramirez also had a hand in building the career of David Ortiz; after a sub-par start to his career in Minnesota, Ortiz joined the Red Sox in 2003 and, with the perennial All-Star hitting behind him, developed into one of the most feared left-handed power hitters in the game. Eventually, the two sluggers became one of the greatest one-two punches in recorded baseball history, hitting a combined total of 422 home runs in five-plus seasons together, and combined for home runs in the same game over 40 times.
Notably, Ramirez was at his best when it counted most for the Sox: the post-season. In 165 at-bats over nine playoff series, he batted .321, averaging .375 or better four times, hit 11 home runs, drove home 36 runs, and even won World Series MVP honors in the 2004 Fall Classic batting .412 with a home run and four RBI.
Career Batting Statistics through 2018 Season
| Season | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BB | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 529 | 93 | 162 | 41 | 125 | 81 | 0 | .306 |
| 2002 | 436 | 84 | 152 | 33 | 107 | 73 | 0 | .349 |
| 2003 | 569 | 117 | 185 | 37 | 104 | 97 | 3 | .325 |
| 2004 | 568 | 108 | 175 | 43 | 130 | 82 | 2 | .308 |
| 2005 | 554 | 112 | 162 | 45 | 144 | 80 | 1 | .292 |
| 2006 | 449 | 79 | 144 | 35 | 102 | 100 | 0 | .321 |
| 2007 | 483 | 84 | 143 | 20 | 88 | 71 | 0 | .296 |
| 2008 | 365 | 66 | 109 | 20 | 68 | 52 | 1 | .299 |
| TOTAL | 3953 | 743 | 1232 | 274 | 868 | 636 | 7 | .312 |
Awards and Recognition with Boston
AL Hank Aaron Award, 2004
Batting Champion (.349), 2002
Home Run Champion (43), 2004
Silver Slugger Award (OF), 2001
Silver Slugger Award (DH), 2002
Silver Slugger Award (OF), 2003
Silver Slugger Award (OF), 2004
Silver Slugger Award (OF), 2005
Silver Slugger Award (OF), 2006
World Series MVP Award, 2004
Memorable Moments for Manny Ramirez
- 13 December 2000 - Free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez signs an eight-year, 160 million dollar contract with the Red Sox as Boston outbids his old team, the Cleveland Indians.
- 6 April 2001 - The first pitch to Manny Ramirez at Fenway Park ends up leaving the yard as Boston wins the home opener 11-4 over Tampa Bay.
- 2 June 2001 - Manny Ramirez hits a towering home run into the fifth deck at SkyDome estimated at 491 feet; Boston eventually wins 2-1 over Toronto as Carl Everett homers in the ninth inning for the only other Red Sox run.
- 24 August 2002 - Flying out to center field in the bottom of the sixth inning, Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez ends a streak of 14 consecutive at-bats in which he reaches base, which includes nine hits and five walks. Former Boston outfielder Ted Williams holds the major league record with 16.
- 6 October 2003 - Boston completes the comeback from an 0-2 series deficit with a 4-3 win over Oakland in Game Five of the division series. Jason Varitek and Manny Ramirez both homer to score all four Boston runs and Derek Lowe comes from the bullpen to record the final three outs.
- 16 February 2004 - After the Red Sox are unable to complete a trade with the Rangers within a 72-hour window, Texas trades Alex Rodriguez along with cash to the New York Yankees in exchange for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later, Joaquin Arias. The players' association had objected to the terms that would have restructured the contract of the reigning American League MVP. The trade would have also sent Manny Ramirez and prospect Jon Lester to the Rangers and Nomar Garciaparra to the White Sox in exchange for Magglio Ordonez.
- 26 October 2004 - Pedro Martinez pitches seven strong innings, allowing just three hits, and Manny Ramirez homers and throws out a runner at home in the first as Boston wins 4-1 over St. Louis to put the Red Sox one win from a world championship for the first time since 1918.
- 5 July 2005 - Manny Ramirez hits the 20th grand slam of his career in a 7-4 Boston win, putting him second behind Lou Gehrig on the career list.
- 15 July 2005 - Outfielders Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez each get four hits for the Red Sox in Boston's 17-1 rout of New York at Fenway Park.
- 22 April 2007 - Manny Ramirez, J. D. Drew, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek hit four consecutive home runs in the third inning, the first time in Red Sox history this feat has occurred. All four home runs were off of 10 pitches from Yankees rookie Chase Wright, making just his second major league start. Boston eventually wins 7-6.
- 30 April 2008 - For the second game in a row, Boston beats Toronto with a ninth-inning, two-out base hit that scores the winning run; catcher Jason Varitek singles home Manny Ramirez to give the Sox a 2-1 win one day after Kevin Youkilis plates David Ortiz in a 1-0 victory over the Blue Jays.
- 31 May 2008 - Manny Ramirez hits the 500th home run of his career of Orioles pitcher Chad Bradford as Boston best Baltimore 6-3 at Camden Yards. Ramirez becomes the third player to hit number 500 with the Red Sox after Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams.
- 31 July 2008 - Outfielder Manny Ramirez is traded to the Dodgers as part of a three-team deal while the Red Sox receive outfielder Jason Bay from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- 12 September 2015 - At Tampa, David Ortiz hits career home runs number 499 and 500, becoming the 27th player in major league history to reach that mark, in a 7-4 win for the Red Sox over the Rays. He is also the fourth player to reach the mark in a Boston uniform, joining Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, and Manny Ramirez.