CC Sabathia just saw Guardians' next Hall of Famer put on a show in Cleveland return

The Cleveland Guardians had a strong showing at last month’s Hall of Fame ceremony thanks to former pitcher CC Sabathia and broadcaster Tom Hamilton being inducted into the Hall. 

Sabathia, who pitched for Cleveland from 2001 to ‘08, was a first-ballot Hall of Famer thanks to a workhorse career that ended with him being one of just 15 pitchers to record 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. 

Hamilton, on the other hand, has been on the Guardians’ radio broadcasts since 1990, which has provided him an opportunity to be the voice of the summer in Northeast Ohio for more than 30 years. 

And, on Tuesday, both Hall of Famers got a chance to see Cleveland’s next Hall of Fame honoree put on a show in a Guardians win. 

CC Sabathia just saw Guardians' next Hall of Famer put on a show in Cleveland return

While the Guardians’ win over the Marlins on Thursday was the prototypical José Ramírez game, Tuesday’s win wasn’t far off, as the future Hall of Famer slugged two home runs against the Marlins in Cleveland’s 4-3 win. It marked the 27th multi-homer game of his career, which broke his tie with Jim Thome and Albert Belle — two of the best players in Cleveland history. 

And it was only fitting that he did so with two other Hall of Famers in the building. 

His home runs bookended a big Cleveland win, as he opened the game with a homer off starter Janson Junk and ended it with a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning off reliever Calvin Faucher. 

“It always feels like he's going to deliver,” manager Stephen Vogt said after the game. “Anytime he's up at any point in the game, you make sure you're watching, but [especially] late in the game like that. That's a really good pitcher, and he just continues to do Hosey things.

This year, those “Hosey things” have helped push the Guardians into the thick of the postseason picture after they looked left for dead following a 10-game losing streak across June and July. 

Ramírez is now slashing .298/.371/.528 this year with 25 home runs, 65 RBI, 35 steals and 23 doubles. He’s the only player in baseball to have 25 home runs and 35 steals. 

While Ramírez and Sabathia’s paths never crossed in Cleveland (Ramírez went 6-for-13 off Sabathia in his career), they’re both perfect examples of the kind of players the Guardians like to build around. 

Cleveland selected Sabathia in the first round of the 1998 MLB Draft and helped him bloom into a Hall of Fame pitcher, while they nabbed Ramírez out of the Dominican Republic for $50,000 and gave him the runway and means to turn into a player who will one day have a plaque in Cooperstown. 

Tuesday’s game was a celebration of that.