José Ramírez Silences Concerns With Slump-Ending Performance Against Yankees

José Ramírez looks a lot more like himself.

When the Cleveland Guardians needed him the most, for the first time in quite a bit of time, the future Hall of Fame third baseman delivered.

On Tuesday, June 2, the Guardians met with the New York Yankees for what was expected to be a highly contested road matchup. And that it would be.

Through nine innings of work, both sides battled back and forth with leads exchanged before the Guardians took over in the fifth inning and never looked back. Leading the charge for them at the plate was Ramírez, who smacked three doubles, brought in two runners and also scored once.

The Guardians went on to win 9-4, with Ramírez playing a major part in the team's success.

“It was great to see Hosey come through, and he was close," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame. "We knew that he's been hitting the ball really hard, so to see three of them kind of land and get down…. His first ball of the game was indicative of what he's been doing. He crushed that ball right out at them. So really nice to see Hosey have a big night.”

Such a performance was nice to see, especially considering Ramírez had struggled at the plate to begin the 2026 season. His first double was a rip into center field going 297 feet, before he followed up that knock with a 167-foot liner to right field that brought in Patrick Bailey for the go-ahead run.

His last double, which came in the top of the seventh inning to give Cleveland a cushion, 6-4, was less of a show of his power but more so his knack for popping the ball into the right spot. He bounced it across the infield and into the left-field corner.

Moving into the second game of the series, Ramírez is now up to 17 doubles on the season. His batting average has also grown to .236, a nice bump from where it was at just weeks ago.

With the starting pitching from Joey Cantillo being shaky, the Guardians needed a bit of balance and comfort at the plate. Ramírez, ending his mini early-season slump in the process, was able to do just that.

“He's one of the best players in the world," Cantillo said postgame. "He's been hitting the ball so hard. He’s been playing like how he always plays. He's just kind of had a little tough luck recently. But we know what he's gonna do, we know what he's capable of…”

#Guardians starter Joey Cantillo praised José Ramírez to reporters in NY following today’s performance:

“He's one of the best players in the world. He's been hitting the ball so hard. He’s been playing like how he always plays. He's just kind of had a little tough luck…
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) June 3, 2026

The Rest of the Story

After Cantillo exited the game, tossing four innings and giving up four runs, the coaching staff leaned into the bullpen.

First entered Colin Holderman, who, since his return from Triple-A roughly a month ago, has been arguably Cleveland's most reliable high-leverage arm outside of closer Cade Smith. He pitched through the fifth inning, giving up just one hit while striking out two batters.

He would end up being handed the win.

Colin Holderman in the fifth inning for the #Guardians:

1 Hit Allowed
0 Runs Allowed
0 Walks Allowed
2 Strikeouts#GuardsBall
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) June 3, 2026

Once Holderman capped off the fifth, Tim Herrin and Hunter Gaddis would cover the sixth and seventh innings, combining for just one hit given up, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts.

Shawn Armstrong hasn't been able to settle in much following his return from injury recently, but against the Yankees, he flashed that reliable form that made him sought after this past offseason. He threw in the eighth inning, striking out one batter. He lowered his season ERA to 3.38 in the process.

And with the game in hand by the end of the eighth, thanks to a three-run double from Travis Bazzana that frame, the bullpen trotted out Matt Festa to secure the deal.

He would strike out one batter in the ninth and power the Guardians to their 35th win of the season.

Matt Festa closes out the game as the #Guardians beat the Yankees to start the road series!

- Ramirez: 4/5, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R
- Bazzana: 1/4, 1 3B, 4 RBI
- Manzardo: 2/4, 2 RBI, 1 BB
- Holderman: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 SO (Win)

Beautiful night from the bullpen.

Final: 9-4.#GuardsBall
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) June 3, 2026

But with so many strong performances helping lead the Guardians to a win, nothing felt better than seeing the 33-year-old Ramírez break out of his slump and help guide the team to a much-needed victory.

“I just thought we worked really good at-bats tonight," Vogt said. "...We were moving runners, we were driving them in from third, some big hits when we needed them, and we were just able to keep piling on..."

The Guardians and Yankees will meet for the second outing of this three-game set on Wednesday, June 3, at 7:05 p.m. EST.

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