The Los Angeles Dodgers bolstered their pitching depth with the acquisition of Yohan Ramírez last week, who immediately joined the active roster due to not having any Minor League options remaining.
The right-hander threw two scoreless innings in his team debut but has struggled in his ensuing two appearances against the Cincinnati Reds. He did not retire any of the three batters faced in Friday’s series opener and then escaped a bases-loaded jam on Sunday.
Ramírez got the first two outs before allowing a single and then hitting the next two batters. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walked out to the mound and gave him a pep talk while placing his arms around the right-hander before leaving him in the game.
Ramírez recorded the final out on the very next pitch and kept the team’s deficit at four.
Roberts explained that he wanted to boost Ramírez’s confidence and reassure him that all of his Dodgers teammates had his back, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“He’s emotional and cares, and he’s trying to impress with a new ballclub,” Roberts said. “I just tried to reassure him and give him some confidence, love on him a little bit, and try to take a little bit of pressure off.”
“You just see the player, and you kind of feel what he’s got going on in his brain, in his heart, all that stuff,” Roberts added. “Sometimes I’m sure — I’ve never thrown a major league inning — but you feel like you’re on an island. So I wanted to show that we were all behind him.”
The moment between Roberts and Ramírez perhaps best exemplifies why so many players enjoy playing for the Dodgers skipper. Roberts is widely considered as one of the best, if not the best, player manager in baseball, and it’s why the Dodgers value him so highly.
Ramírez is now hoping to build on his scoreless inning and possibly find a long-term home with the Dodgers, who are his third team of the season.
Yohan Ramírez MLB career
Ramírez was originally singed as an international free agent by the Houston Astros out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. He ended up making his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners four years later and spent parts of three seasons in the organization.
Ramírez then had stints with the Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Mets before finding his way to the Dodgers.
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