José Ramírez Finds the October Spotlight, Mostly for the Better

Jay Jaffe analyzes José Ramírez's turbulent postseason following an injury-plagued regular season. After recovering from a fractured left hamate that required surgery, Ramírez surged late in the year and delivered key hits during the Division Series against the White Sox. However, his fourth-inning fielding error on Tuesday night contributed to a 3-1 victory for the Tampa Bay Rays, evening the ALCS against Cleveland.

The costly defensive miscue came during a scoreless fourth inning alongside other infield blunders by the Guardians. A grounder by Ben Williamson bounced through Ramírez's legs, allowing Victor Mesa Jr. to score the game's first run before Liam Hicks drove in two more. Jaffe notes that while Ramírez has largely starred this October, those three unearned runs proved decisive in the defeat.