Alex Ramírez Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Alex Ramírez

Ramirez celebrating his 2000 career hits in 2013

Outfielder / Manager

Born: 3 October 1974 (age 50)
Caracas, Venezuela

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

Professional debut

MLB: 19 September, 1998, for the Cleveland Indians

NPB: 30 March, 2001, for the Yakult Swallows

Last appearance

MLB: 27 September, 2000, for the Pittsburgh Pirates

NPB: 8 October, 2013, for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars

MLB statistics

Batting average

.259

Hits

Home runs

Runs batted in

NPB statistics

Batting average

.301

Hits

2,017

Home runs

380

Runs batted in

1,272

Teams

As a player:

Cleveland Indians (1998–2000)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2000)
Yakult Swallows/Tokyo Yakult Swallows (2001–2007)
Yomiuri Giants (2008–2011)
Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2012–2013)

As manager:

Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2016–2020)

Career highlights and awards

NPB

2× Central League MVP (2008-2009)
8× NPB All-Star (2002–2003,2007–2012)
2× Japan Series champion (2001, 2009)
2008 CLCS MVP
4× Best Nine Award (2003,2007–2009)
Central League batting champion (2009)
3× Central League RBI Leader (2003, 2007, 2008)
Central League home run leader (2003)

Baseball Hall of Fame

Induction

2023

Alexander Ramón Ramírez Quiñónez, born on October 3, 1974, is a famous former professional baseball player. He was born in Venezuela but later became a Japanese citizen. People often called him Ramichan.

Alex Ramírez played as an outfielder for many years in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. He made history by becoming the first player born outside Japan to get 2,000 hits in NPB.

Before playing in Japan, he also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States. He was with the Cleveland Indians from 1998 to 2000 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000. He was a right-handed batter and thrower. After his playing career, he became a baseball manager.

Alex Ramírez's Baseball Journey
Career Statistics
Personal Life and Faith
See also

Alex Ramírez's Baseball Journey

Playing in America

Alex Ramírez started his professional career in the American minor leagues. In 1998, he was named the best minor league player for the Cleveland Indians.

He made his big league debut with the Cleveland Indians in 1998. In July 2000, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his three seasons in MLB, Alex Ramírez had a batting average of .259. He hit 12 home runs and had 48 runs batted in (RBI). He played in 135 games.

Becoming a Star in Japan

After the 2000 season, Alex Ramírez moved to Japan. He signed with the Yakult Swallows and played for them from 2001 to 2007. He was a very important player for the team.

In his last season with the Swallows in 2007, he set a new record for the Central League. He got 204 hits in one season. This record was later broken, but it showed how great a hitter he was.

After 2007, Ramírez joined the Yomiuri Giants for the 2008 season. He quickly became a star there too. In 2008, he led the Central League with 125 RBI. He also hit 45 home runs and had a .319 batting average. He even hit two home runs in a Japan Series game, helping his team win.

At the end of the 2008 season, Alex Ramírez won the Central League MVP Award. This award goes to the most valuable player. He was only the third player from Venezuela to win this honor in Japanese baseball.

Making History with 2,000 Hits

After playing for eight seasons in NPB, Alex Ramírez gained "FA Right" in 2008. This meant he was no longer counted as a foreign player on the team roster. This is a special achievement for foreign players in Japan.

On April 6, 2013, Ramírez hit a home run that gave him his 2,000th career hit in NPB. He was the 42nd player and the very first foreign player to reach this amazing milestone. Because of this, he was invited to join the Meikyukai. This is a special club for elite Japanese baseball players. He was the first Western player to be part of this group.

Life After Playing Baseball

In 2014, Alex Ramírez became a player-coach for the Gunma Diamond Pegasus team in Japan's Baseball Challenge League. He played in 45 games, hitting .305 with 7 home runs. He retired from playing after the 2014 season.

In 2015, Ramírez became an advisor for the Orix Buffaloes, helping younger players. In October 2015, he was named the manager for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars for the 2016 season.

In his first year as manager, his team finished third in the Central League. They made it to the Climax Series playoffs. In his second year, the BayStars reached the 2017 Japan Series, which is like the championship series, but they lost.

Career Statistics

Ramirez in 2012.

Here are Alex Ramírez's statistics from his time playing in Nippon Professional Baseball:

Nippon Professional Baseball
Year	Age	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	SB	AVG
2001	27	Yakult	138	510	60	143	23	0	29	253	88	1	.280
2002	28	Yakult	139	539	65	159	25	0	24	256	92	0	.295
2003	29	Yakult	140	567	105	189	34	3	40	349	124	4	.333
2004	30	Yakult	129	525	79	160	30	2	31	287	110	2	.305
2005	31	Yakult	146	596	70	168	19	1	32	285	104	5	.282
2006	32	Yakult	146	603	79	161	28	2	26	271	112	0	.267
2007	33	Yakult	144	594	80	204	41	3	29	338	122	0	.343
2008	34	Yomiuri	144	548	84	175	28	0	45	338	125	1	.319
2009	35	Yomiuri	144	577	66	186	35	0	31	314	103	4	.322
2010	36	Yomiuri	144	566	93	172	28	0	49	347	129	1	.304
2011	37	Yomiuri	137	477	39	133	12	1	23	216	73	2	.279
2012	38	DeNA	137	476	40	143	25	0	19	225	76	0	.300
2013	39	DeNA	56	130	6	24	0	0	2	30	14	0	.185
		Total	1,744	6,708	866	2,017	330	12	380	3,709	1,272	20

Statistics current as of November 21, 2014

Personal Life and Faith

Ramirez in 2012.

Alex Ramírez has spoken about his Christian faith. He believes that God has blessed him with his baseball career. He is happy to follow whatever plan God has for him.

In January 2019, Alex Ramírez became a naturalized Japanese citizen. This means he is now officially a citizen of Japan.

Alex Ramírez facts for kids

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