OAKLAND – Henry Ramos can’t take full credit for the Cincinnati Reds winning all five games after he was promoted to the majors, but he keeps finding ways to step up in big moments.
The latest way he impacted a game was a seven-pitch walk in the ninth inning Saturday against Oakland Athletics closer Jeurys Familia. The Reds, down to their last two outs, trailed by a run and it felt like one of those afternoons where nothing went right.
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In a full count, Ramos fouled a slider off his foot that caused him to limp out of the batter’s box. The next pitch was a 95-mph fastball that Ramos watched off the edge of the plate, a borderline call that worked in his favor. It sparked a Reds rally when Kevin Newman reached on an infield single, Nick Senzel drew a walk and Jake Fraley hit a go-ahead, two-run double that bounced off the first-base bag in a 3-2 win.
“The momentum wasn’t really there for us,” Reds pitcher Hunter Greene said afterward, “but we were able to create our own momentum and ride with it.”
Maybe that is the best way to describe Ramos’ contributions in his first week with the team. This is a guy who entered the year with 50 major league at-bats. He spent last year playing in Korea after 11 years in the minor leagues. He was the last cut from Reds camp out of spring training.
All he’s done since joining the roster is find ways to create momentum. He drew a bases-loaded walk to maintain an eighth-inning rally Monday. He drove in a run to kickstart a six-run rally to stun the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. He started the scoring with an RBI triple Wednesday. He reached base four times Friday.
“He’s been waiting for this opportunity,” Reds Manager David Bell said. “I think that’s why we are seeing a little bit more maturity or more readiness beyond how much (major league) experience he has. He’s prepared for it.”
Through five games, the 31-year-old Ramos has seven hits in 17 at-bats with five runs, three RBI and four walks. He’s a bat-first type of player, but he’s instinctual. He fits in well with a club that emphasizes taking the extra base and remaining aggressive.
He’s unafraid to show emotion on the field, which he showed during games against the Rangers. For a Reds offense that scored six runs during their six-game losing streak last week, Ramos has been a part of four comeback wins during their five-game winning streak.
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“He’s playing with a lot of energy and passion,” Reds Manager David Bell said. “He’s really into the game. You would think a guy like that would have a tendency to be a little bit selfish trying to hang on and try to stay here. That’s not the case at all. He’s really into the game. He’s helping his teammates, like Jose Barrero, they already have a good connection. He’s really supportive of Jose. Just a good teammate and in it for the right reasons.”
Ramos, as he showed in his ninth-inning walk Saturday, isn’t looking to do too much when he steps into the batter’s box. When he was asked about his mindset against Familia, who had just struck out Tyler Stephenson on a looping slider, he quickly responded: “Get on base.”
“I’m very happy,” Ramos said through team interpreter Jorge Merlos. “I mean, it’s not just because of one person. It’s the whole team.”
There is something to be said about Ramos’ infectious style of play. He runs hard. He’s aggressive on the base paths. Through five games, he’s been a tough at-bat for pitchers, particularly closers in late-inning rallies.
Ramos, the older brother of San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos, credits his mindset. He’s a firm believer that baseball is 90% mental. He often reads books on his phone that he says helped him.
“He’s an aggressive baserunner,” Bell said. “We’ve seen that. I would say very high instincts. A lot of that comes with experience. He’s been playing for a while. I really do think, it’s like he has played all this out in his mind so many times that it’s helped him now that he is here.”
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