Guardians' José Ramírez finishes one homer short of membership in baseball's exclusive 40-40 club

CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez never got to take a swing at history and a place in one of baseball's most exclusive clubs.

In the end, 40-40 was just out of reach.

Cleveland's All-Star third baseman finished one home run shy of becoming the seventh player to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in the same season, denied the chance when the Guardians' regular-season finale against the Houston Astros was canceled by rain on Sunday.

Ramírez, who had 41 steals, also ended with 39 doubles, leaving him one short of being just the second player with 40 homers, 40 doubles and 40 steals in a season — a feat only accomplished by Alfonso Soriano in 2006.

While disappointed, Ramírez made a promise to Guardians first-year manager Stephen Vogt.

“He was like, 'Hey, I'll do it next year,'” Vogt relayed. “That's who he is. He wants to win. Unfortunately, he just didn’t get one last opportunity.”

The teams waited more than three hours before Major League Baseball finally allowed the game to be called. With the Astros needing to get home for a Monday workout ahead of Tuesday's wild-card series opener against Detroit, there was no reason to drag the delay out any longer.

Sadly, the rainout ruined a chance for Cleveland fans to possibly see Ramírez give them yet another thrill — something he's been doing routinely throughout his career.

On Saturday, Ramírez belted home run No. 39 in the first inning off Justin Verlander and hit double No. 39 in the eighth inning, capping an 11-pitch at-bat that included him fouling a ball off his leg. It was also his 1,500th career hit.

Thousands of fans — many who stayed in their seats wearing ponchos — waited out the long weather delay hoping Ramírez could connect again and join Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco and Soriano in the exclusive 40-40 club.

It was not to be.

“Unfortunately, Hosey didn’t get to have one more shot at it,” Vogt said. “But to be the second person in the history of baseball to do what he did this year, that's still a pretty cool feat. You think about all the close calls that he had and the times he was robbed and it’s still a remarkable season, what he put together.”

A native of the Dominican Republic, the 32-year-old Ramírez has spent his entire career in Cleveland. His all-out hustle, consistency and heart have not only made him one of the club's most popular players but brought him universal respect across the game.

When he steps to the plate in Progressive Field, Ramírez is usually serenaded with “Ho-sey, Ho-sey, Ho-sey, Ho-sey" in a sing-a-long by fans often followed by him ripping a ball down one of the baselines and going into second base headfirst and helmetless.

“He’s one of the most underrated players in the big leagues, 100%," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "He’s a really good player on both sides of the ball. I personally don’t like when he comes to the plate, obviously.

"But I admire watching him play because of how good and how tough he is. The passion that he plays with.”

Before he came to Cleveland, Vogt was an outsider who only knew Ramírez as an opponent. He's now front row for one of the best shows in baseball.

“One of the favorite parts of this job is watching him every single day be the same person,” Vogt said. "Playing the game the right way, going about his business. Playing the game to win, and your numbers will be there at the end of the year.

“He’s the epitome and example of that, and it’s so great that our young players get to watch.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Tom Withers, The Associated Press