José Ramírez added another major milestone to his Cleveland career Friday night, hitting a solo home run for his 1,000th career RBI in the Guardians' 5-3 win over the Athletics.
Rare company in Cleveland
Ramírez reached the mark in the sixth inning at Progressive Field. He joined Hall of Famer Earl Averill as the only players in franchise history to record 1,000 RBIs. Ramírez is also the 12th active major leaguer to reach the milestone.
The home run came one day after his 34th birthday and during a season interrupted by a fractured left hand. He missed 30 games after undergoing surgery in June, then returned without a minor league rehabilitation assignment.
Ramírez also stole a base Friday, giving him 38 career games with both a home run and a stolen base. That total is tied with Shohei Ohtani for second among active players, behind Mike Trout's 40.
Guardians keep control of the Central
Cleveland fell behind 3-0 in the first inning before mounting its comeback. Rookie Travis Bazzana homered in the fifth, Ramírez followed with his milestone shot in the sixth, and Joey Cantillo delivered six scoreless relief innings.
The Guardians have won three straight and hold a one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central with eight regular-season games remaining.
_Photo: Erik Drost/Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0._