After finishing last in the league in home runs last year, the Cleveland Guardians continue to show their improved power.
José Ramírez kicked off a streak of three consecutive homers in the fourth inning of Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. This made the Guardians the first team in the league this season to hit back-to-back-to-back homers.
The flurry of home runs occurred with two outs and increased the Guardians’ lead to 9-2. “It’s an exciting feeling. It’s great for the team, and I’m happy we all got to experience that,” said Ramírez after Cleveland’s 10-4 win extended their winning streak to seven games.
All three homers came in the span of just four pitches. The first two were off Los Angeles starter Patrick Sandoval, and the third came off José Suarez.
With a total of four homers in the game, Cleveland now has 58 for the season, tying them for ninth place in MLB. Last season, they only had 124 homers in total.
“Our hitting coach Chris Valaika and the hitting group challenged our players starting last winter to hit the ball harder, take chances, and recognize which pitches to drive,” explained manager Stephen Vogt. “Swinging early in the count and missing is okay. Our players have responded well and take pride in it. Luckily, we’re hitting some homers.”
After Andrés Giménez got on base with a single, Ramírez followed up with a two-run homer to center for his second homer of the game. It was Ramírez’s 24th multihomer game and his first since last July.
Ramírez’s homer was his 14th of the season, tying him for fifth place in the league. With four RBIs in the first four innings, he surpassed Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna for the MLB lead with 49 RBIs.
“It’s a combination of having a good plan, executing it well, and seeing the results. That’s what’s working for me right now,” said Ramírez.
On the very next pitch, Josh Naylor hit a homer into the bleachers in right-center field for his 13th of the season, tying him for seventh place. Suarez replaced Sandoval on the mound. But after just two pitches, David Fry hit a fastball into the Guardians’ bullpen in left field.
This marks the first time since June 18, 2019, against Texas that Cleveland has hit three straight homers. “It’s pretty awesome. The whole dugout was hyped up,” said Fry. “Let’s keep it going and hopefully, I can hit another one.”
Interestingly, the Angels were also the last team to allow three consecutive homers. The Texas Rangers hit three solo shots against the Angels on Sept. 25, 2023.
