Ramirez’s response lifts Guardians to Game 1 win
CLEVELAND — When the Cleveland Guardians needed a response, after Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in Game 1 of their AL wild card series on Friday, it came as no surprise that all-star third baseman Jose Ramirez would be the guy to come through. He’s done it all year.
“He’s inevitable,” winning pitcher Shane Bieber said after the Guardians 2-1 win. “To do it right away, that was huge. I know for me personally, any pitcher, will tell you that.”
Ramirez hit an 88 mph changeup for a 2-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning on Friday not long after Jose Siri had given the Rays the lead in the top of the inning. Response accomplished.
“Yeah, that (responding) came through my mind, but we have a really good team, so I knew we were capable to come back,” Ramirez said through the team interpreter. “When it came off the bat I felt it was a homer, but with this weather you never know, and when I saw the center fielder trying to get to the wall, I was kind of concerned and I kind of sped up a little bit my pace (on the bases).”
Ramirez, batting right-handed, went deep to the opposite field off Rays starter Shane McClanahan as the home crowd erupted for the fan favorite. The best player on the Guardians hit 29 regular season home runs but his manager is most impressed when he’s not trying to hit them.
“I know he was hitting on 29 (in the regular season), and everybody was wanting it — and I understand why they want him to get 30,” Terry Francona said. “But he hit the double the other way. He had a bunch of hits that were staying through the ball. Balls will go out just because he’s a really good hitter.”
McClanahan left the pitch up after getting Ramirez out on change-ups his first two times at the plate.
“That was my plan, just look for that changeup,” he said. “He got me twice with the same pitch. Because it’s a really good pitch. It really resembles a fastball. So I was just sitting on that pitch and I was just trying not to do too much, just put it on the opposing side of the field, and I was able to get a good contact on that.”
The home run backed Bieber’s stellar outing as he lasted 7.2 innings, giving up just three hits while striking out eight. He wouldn’t commit to it being his best outing of the year but it would be hard to find one better, considering what’s at stake. The Guardians can win the best-of-three series with a victory on Saturday.
Bieber said the crowd gave him some needed adrenaline.
“It was just a lot of fun out there,” Bieber stated. “I wasn’t blind to the fact that there were a lot of people there pulling for us, pulling for us to come out of there with a victory. So we won’t take that for granted and that’s what we do it for.”
The game lasted just 2:17 on a chilly and cloudy day in Cleveland. It was decided by home runs — by two teams not known for hitting them.
“Two home runs, theirs and ours,” Francona said. “Or we might still be playing because both pitchers were (good), I mean, their guy was really good.”
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.
Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.
O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.
Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.
In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.
Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.
Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.
The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.
LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.
Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.
Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.
Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.
Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.
The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.
That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
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