Manny Ramirez – No. 24
Well this could get interesting if the Red Sox ever do decide to retire Ramirez’s number, especially if Dewey’s has already been hung up. Why’s that? Well, both Evans and Ramirez wore the No. 24. Can they retire the same number twice? Or once for both players? Would it be a duel ceremony? See, it’s not easy figuring this stuff out.
First we need to figure out if Ramirez is worthy of having his number retired. He spent only seven and a half years in Boston and ended with a messy divorce when the Red Sox shipped him to the Los Angeles Dodgers following some very public disputes with teammates and team personnel. There are some that wouldn’t want to see Ramirez honored due his unacceptable actions when he was on his way out the door.
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But then we remember the good times, for which there were many. Just look at his resume! Ramirez made the All-Star team in all eight seasons that he spent in Boston, while earning six Silver Slugger awards and finishing in the top-10 in MVP voting five times. During his time with the Red Sox he slashed a line of .312/.411/.588, while smashing 274 of his 555 career home runs. If we count only what he produced while in Boston, he’s 6th in franchise history in home runs and 7th in RBI.
Ramirez was also part of two championships here in Boston and was the World Series MVP in 2004 when the Red Sox reversed the curse to capture their first title in 86 years.
The always aloof Ramirez may be remembered as much for his “Manny being Manny” moments as he is for his production, but there’s no doubting that his stay here was memorable. Ramirez is arguably the best right-handed hitter of his generation, which certainly gives him the credentials to have his number retired. The only question is if they Red Sox held a ceremony in his honor, would Manny remember to show up on the right day?
Next: Roger Clemens