Ramirez’s record cements legacy in Cleveland

A few thoughts from the week in sports …

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez almost always uses an interpreter when conducting interviews with the American media.

Ramirez can speak and understand English, but he works with an interpreter to ensure accuracy and allow his family to understand.

That’s certainly understandable as J-Ram was born a world away in the Dominican Republic. A Cleveland scout signed Jose to play baseball for $50,000 when he was just 17 after seeing something special during tryouts at the Indians’ Dominican facility.

When it comes to baseball, though, there’s no language barrier between Ramirez and Cleveland fans. His love for Cleveland and the fans’ appreciative feelings directed right back need no translation.

Ramirez is one of the most beloved professional athletes ever to play any sport on the lakefront.

And in a 4-2 loss against the Royals at Progressive Field April 6, Ramirez set one of the most meaningful records in Cleveland sports history. In fact, it’s a record that stands among the greatest marks any player could hold for an MLB team.

Ramirez played in game No. 1,620 wearing a Cleveland Indians/Guardians uniform, breaking the franchise record of 1,619 games Terry Turner played for the Cleveland Naps/Indians from 1904-18.

J-Ram, 33, debuted for the Indians as a 20-year-old rookie Sept. 1, 2013.

Us Cleveland fans have had the pleasure of watching Ramirez grow into one of the best all-around players in baseball. He’s a true five-tool player: the only Indians/Guardians hitter to top 250 career home runs (286) and 250 stolen bases (289).

Ramirez’s franchise records already include most playoff seasons (seven), Silver Slugger Awards (six), extra-base hits (729) and multi-homer games (27).

He’s second in franchise history in home runs (behind Jim Thome, 337) and steals (Kenny Lofton, 452) and third in runs scored with 1,003 (trailing Earl Averill, 1,154, and Tris Speaker, 1,078).

At just 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, Ramirez doesn’t look or act like the face of a franchise in the traditional sense. He’s not physically imposing and doesn’t chase attention.

Endearing Ramirez to Cleveland fans even more, three times he has taken less money to keep his baseball home on the lakefront. Ramirez signed a five-year deal worth $26 million in 2017, followed by subsequent extensions in April 2022 (five years, $124 million) and a modified, further extension in January 2026 (seven years, $126 million).

Thanks to the latest “team-friendly” deal, Ramirez is locked up to play in Cleveland through the 2032 season, when he will be 40.

I never thought I’d see the day when a player would sign for significantly less money to stay in Cleveland — not after the likes of Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Francisco Lindor chased Brinks trucks filled with money away from the franchise that developed them.

The seven-time All-Star has taken 10s of millions less than market value to remain in Cleveland during his prime, when he has max leverage. And he did it to stay in Cleveland in appreciation of a franchise that took a chance on an undersized Dominican infielder and a city that now considers him an all-time great.

The grit Ramirez displays day in and day out, whether it’s hitting a home run, stealing a base, going from first to third on a teammate’s single or making a great play at third base, will eventually land him in the Hall of Fame.

Here are two cool Jose stats reported by MLB TV to leave readers with:

—Ramirez is the only active player to be his franchise’s all-time leader in games played.

—The last all-time leader in games played from an American League charter franchise to be active in the majors was the Orioles’ Cal Ripken Jr. (2001).

The games-played record is much more than a milestone to celebrate how long Jose Ramirez has been in Cleveland. It’s a chance to recognize how much he’s meant.

Who was Terry Turner?

Longtime Cleveland baseball fans have probably heard the names of team greats from the first half of the 20th century, such as the aforementioned Averill and Speaker, along with men like Napoleon Lajoie, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and Addie Joss.

Yet it was Turner who held the franchise games-played record for 108 years until Ramirez eclipsed him.

I looked up some information on Turner and found it interesting that he had many similarities to Ramirez. Turner also was undersized at 5-8, 149, and was an outstanding infielder (shortstop), line-drive hitter and prolific base stealer. Because his ankles hurt when sliding, Turner is said to have pioneered the head-first slide.

Turner, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates as a rookie in 1901 and closed out his career in 1919 with the Philadelphia A’s, batted .253 in 1,659 career games between his three teams. It was the dead-ball era, and he belted just eight lifetime home runs.

Turner died at age 79 in 1960. He’s buried at Knollwood Cemetery in Mayfield Heights. He was named to the Cleveland Indians’ 100 Greatest Players roster as part of the club’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2001.

Parting shot

I’ve never been less a fan of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament than in 2026, and it’s because of the NIL deals and transfer portal.

Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 in the NCAA title game April 6 with an “All-Transfer Starting Five.”

That’s right: All the Wolverines’ starters were brought in from the portal during the most recent offseason. They signed players from UAB, Illinois, UCLA, Alabama and North Carolina.

The transfer portal will all but squash the chance of colleges from smaller conferences becoming Cinderella stories during March Madness.

I was talking to Hugh Howard, former College of Wooster sports information director, and he gave me an example of his alma mater, Robert Morris College, being decimated by the portal.

The Colonials played well as underdogs in a 90-81 loss to Alabama in the 2025 tournament. Coach Andy Toole felt elated about the program’s bright future. The rest of the country also noticed Robert Morris’ talent, and the team’s entire starting lineup was poached to play elsewhere in the offseason.

The days of teams like Cleveland State or Kent State building toward Sweet 16 berths are long gone. Mid-major players will have too much money waved at them by the power conferences.

Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com.