Would anyone be surprised if Manny Ramirez is getting better with age?
The former Boston Red Sox slugger turns 48 on Saturday, presenting the perfect opportunity to revisit some of the finest moments of his Major League Baseball career. After spending his first seven-plus seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Ramirez joined the Red Sox prior to the 2001 season. And he delivered on the great fanfare his signing prompted.
Manny immediately demonstrated why he was among the most feared batters of his generation, winning the American League batting title in 2002 and the AL home-run crown in 2004.
Ramirez’s exploits in the 2004 World Series helped end the club’s championship drought after 86 years, earned him MVP honors in that year’s Fall Classic and confirmed him as a Boston legend.
Throughout it all, Ramirez was one of Boston’s most charismatic characters, giving rise to the phrase “Manny being Manny.”
The Red Sox traded Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008, and his MLB career lasted until 2011.
He told The Taiwan Times last month he’s eyeing a baseball comeback in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, while his former agent says Ramirez “hasn’t lost his touch.”
And we believe him.
