Boston Red Sox (2001–2008)
In November 2000, the Indians offered Ramirez a seven-year, $119 million contract. While this would have made Ramirez the highest-paid player in baseball, the deal was rejected by Ramirez and his agent, Jeff Moorad, who were seeking a ten-year, $200 million contract. Ramirez was reportedly pursued by the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, but in December agreed to an eight-year, $160 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, with $20 million options for 2009 and 2010, pushing the total value of the contract to $200 million for 10 years.
Ramirez immediately delivered for the Red Sox, hitting .408 in April 2001. He had another sterling first half, amassing a .335 batting average with 26 home runs and 84 RBI at the 2001 All-Star break. Although he missed some time battling hamstring injuries and struggled down the stretch, Ramirez finished the 2001 season at .306 with 41 home runs and 125 RBI, setting the season franchise record of hitting the most home runs as a first year Red Sox player. On June 23, Ramirez hit two monstrous home runs against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park, with the second one hitting the very top of the light tower in left field. Its length was officially listed at 501 feet, second-longest by a Red Sox player in Fenway Park's history, just short of Ted Williams' 1946 record of 502 feet. He also launched a prodigious home run in an away game on June 3 against the Blue Jays into the fifth deck at the SkyDome, which still stands as the longest home run in that ballpark's history at 491 feet. However, despite his efforts, the Red Sox did not qualify for the MLB postseason in 2001. Ramirez, primarily a right fielder in his career to this point, spent most of the season as the designated hitter for the Red Sox. This was due to the Red Sox's belief that Ramirez was best suited to left field due to the presence of Trot Nixon in right, as well as the injuries Ramirez battled during the 2001 season. After signing with the Red Sox, Ramirez played only seven more games in right field, all of which came during the 2002 season.
Ramirez only played in 120 games in 2002 due to a hamstring injury that put him on the disabled list (DL) from mid-May to the end of June. Despite this, Ramirez won the AL batting title, hitting .349 (including .438 against lefties), and his .647 slugging percentage was second in the league behind Jim Thome's .677. Like clockwork, Ramirez again reached the 30 home run and 100 RBI plateaus, posting 33 and 107 respectively. He hit his 300th career home run on August 26 against the Angels' Ramón Ortiz. It was the first of two home runs on the night for Ramirez, as he went 5-for-5 overall. However, the Red Sox again failed to qualify for the MLB postseason in 2002.
In 2003, Ramirez again posted strong offensive numbers, finishing with a .325 average, 37 home runs, and 104 RBI. The second-half surge of newly acquired fellow Dominican slugger David Ortiz gave the Red Sox a formidable one-two punch in the middle of the lineup with Ramirez. However, in the summer, Ramirez missed several games with pharyngitis, but got into hot water as he was spotted in a bar in the hotel where he lived with a close friend, Yankees infielder Enrique Wilson, despite being supposedly too ill to play in the series against the rival Yankees. Ramirez and Wilson both maintained that Manny was just talking to his friend in that setting, and not actually drinking or partying as the media speculated. Boston manager Grady Little benched Ramirez for one game as a result. Despite this distraction, the Red Sox finished the season 95-67, qualifying for the MLB postseason for the first time with Ramirez. In the decisive fifth game of their Division Series matchup against the Oakland Athletics, Ramirez broke a sixth inning 1-1 tie by launching a go-ahead three-run homer off Barry Zito that set up an ALCS showdown with the rival Yankees. In ALCS Game 3, Ramirez was at the center of a bench-clearing brawl. Early in the game, Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martínez had hit Yankees outfielder Karim Garcia up high with a pitch, sparking heated dialogue, and a hard slide by Garcia into Red Sox second baseman Todd Walker had exacerbated the tensions. The very next inning, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens threw a pitch high and inside to Ramirez, and Manny charged the mound, sparking the melee. The Red Sox lost the game 4-3. Despite Ramirez's strong play in the ALCS against the Yankees (.310 with two home runs), the Red Sox fell to the Yankees in the decisive seventh game on Aaron Boone's infamous extra-inning, walk-off home run.
During the offseason that followed, the new Red Sox ownership (led by John W. Henry) and management tried to rid themselves of Ramirez's massive contract, despite his high level of production. Believed to be necessary in pursuit of a trade for Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez, the team put Ramirez on irrevocable waivers, thus making him available to any team willing to assume the remainder of his contract. However, all 29 other teams passed on the opportunity to claim Ramirez due to the high cost, and Rodriguez was acquired by the Yankees instead, as a replacement for Boone after the latter had blown out his knee playing offseason basketball. Also noteworthy from 2003 (though it was not revealed until 2009), according to the New York Times, Ramirez tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs that season from the "survey" drug test, in which MLB players were tested to see if drugs were being used. Players faced no penalties or sanctions for testing positive. Ramirez was one of 104 players to have allegedly tested positive.
In 2004, Ramirez led the AL in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.613) and OPS (1.009); he finished second in errors committed as a left fielder (7), third in RBIs (130), fourth in doubles (44) and total bases (348), sixth in on-base percentage (.397), eighth in walks (82), tenth in runs (108), and posted a .308 batting average. He also led the AL in salary, at $22.5 million.
In addition, Ramirez and teammate David Ortiz became the first pair of AL teammates to hit 40 home runs, have 100 RBIs, and bat .300 since the Yankees' Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931. Together they hit back-to-back home runs six times, tying the major league single-season mark set by the Detroit Tigers' Hank Greenberg and Rudy York and later matched by the Chicago White Sox's Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordóñez.
In the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Ramirez hit a two-run home run off Roger Clemens in the top of the first inning, giving his teammates a 3–0 lead. Ramirez, Derek Jeter (with a single), Ichiro Suzuki (with a double) and Iván Rodríguez (with a triple) became the first All-Star quartet that combined to hit for the cycle during the same inning. The Red Sox again qualified for the postseason, and Ramirez continued his hot hitting. He hit .385 in the 2004 ALDS, leading the Red Sox to a sweep over the Anaheim Angels, and setting up a rematch in the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees. Despite not driving in a run in the ALCS, Ramirez hit .300 as the Red Sox completed a historic comeback from down 3 games to 0 to win in seven against the Yankees, setting up a showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series as the Red Sox attempted to end the Curse of the Bambino and win their first championship since 1918. Ramirez proceeded to hit .412 with a home run and 4 RBI in a 4-game sweep of the Cardinals, as the Red Sox won their first title in 86 years. His home run came in the first inning of Game 3, off Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan, continuing a streak throughout the Series where the Red Sox scored in the first inning of each game. Ramirez's 2004 season was capped off by being named World Series MVP. Ramirez also finished third in AL MVP voting, just ahead of teammate Ortiz, who finished fourth.
On May 15, 2005, Ramirez hit his 400th home run off Gil Meche of the Seattle Mariners. On July 5, Ramirez hit his 20th career grand slam — and his third of the season — off Chris Young of the Texas Rangers. On defense, however, he tied for the lead among all major league left fielders in errors, with seven. He posted his highest single-season RBI total as a Red Sox in 2005, driving in 144 runs to go along with his 45 homers, but he batted only .292, his first time under .300 since 1998. Along with teammate David Ortiz, who drove in 148 runs, the duo combined to drive in an outstanding 292 runs. Ortiz finished second, and Ramirez fourth, in MVP voting to winner Alex Rodriguez.
Off the field, the season was one of much conflict for Ramirez. Persistent trade rumors (generally involving the New York Mets) dogged him all season. After the Red Sox were eliminated in the first round of that year's playoffs by the eventual World Series champion Chicago White Sox, Ramirez once again expressed a wish to be traded. This included a threat to not show up for spring training if his latest demand was not met by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. Toward this end, in December 2005, Ramirez put his Ritz-Carlton condominium up for sale. Trade rumors circulated with Ramirez possibly going to the Baltimore Orioles or the New York Mets, but no deal was reached. By January 5, 2006, Ramirez changed his mind, stating that he was dropping the demand. His agents, in turn, insisted their client was still open to a trade. But no deal materialized.
On June 10, 2006, Ramirez became the 31st player in history to hit 450 home runs, with a solo home run off Francisco Cordero of the Texas Rangers. Three weeks later, on July 1, he collected his 2000th hit. Beginning in mid-July, he had a 28-game hitting streak, including 12 multi-hit games, eight home runs, and 28 RBI. He reached 100 RBI for the ninth consecutive season on August 20 in a series against the Yankees, but missed 28 games from mid-August on with soreness in his right knee. Ramirez finished at .321 with 35 home runs and 102 RBI. He also drew a career-high 100 walks in 2006, the only time in his career he reached that mark. However, the Red Sox missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season.
On April 22, 2007, Ramirez was the first of four Red Sox batters to homer in consecutive at-bats in a game against the New York Yankees pitcher Chase Wright, tying a league record when J. D. Drew, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek followed Ramirez with longballs of their own. On April 29, Ramirez became the fifth player to hit 50 career home runs against the Yankees.
Ramirez finished 2007 with a .296 batting average, 20 home runs, and 88 RBI, ending his streak of 30 home run and 100 RBI seasons at nine. His season was cut short when he strained his left oblique in late August during a Yankees series, but he did return to the lineup for the final homestand of the season. In 2007, he had the highest fielding percentage (.990) among left fielders in the AL, tied for second in the major leagues; he was ranked sixth-highest in range factor of all AL left fielders, 1.72, 16th in both leagues, but had the lowest zone rating among MLB left fielders with 100+ games (.713). He made two errors during the 2007 season in left field, and tied for sixth overall in the major leagues in assists from left field.
In the postseason, Ramirez hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, breaking a 3-3 tie as he launched the ball over Fenway Park's Monster seats beyond the left-field wall. In the fourth inning of the series' final game, Ramirez combined with teammate David Ortiz to hit back-to-back home runs off pitcher Jered Weaver. The home run tied him with Bernie Williams for first place all-time in postseason home runs with 22. The Red Sox advanced to the 2007 American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians where, on October 13, Ramirez hit his 23rd postseason home run, passing Williams for the most all-time. He helped the Red Sox to reach and win the 2007 World Series, where they swept the Colorado Rockies, by batting a combined .348 with four home runs and 16 RBI in the postseason. Ramirez earned his second World Series ring, as the Red Sox earned their seventh title.
2008 opened with Ramirez and the Red Sox defending their crown, and with Ramirez himself stating he wanted "to play six more years and then retire as a member of the Red Sox." Ramirez played in his 2,000th game on May 26, 2008, against Seattle. On May 31, 2008, Ramirez hit his 500th home run, against Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chad Bradford at Camden Yards in the seventh inning on the first pitch. He became the 24th player in MLB history to do so. He joined two other Boston legends, Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams, to have joined the exclusive home run club as a member of the Red Sox.
A heated altercation between Ramirez and teammate Kevin Youkilis took place on June 5, during a game at Fenway Park against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Boston Globe speculated that Youkilis was angry that Ramirez had been slow to join a bench-clearing brawl earlier in the game. The altercation may have also been caused by Ramirez objecting to what he believed was excessive complaining by Youkilis about the strike zone, as well as the first baseman's penchant for sometimes throwing his helmet in frustration after making an out. Before the fifth inning, Ramirez was caught on NESN cameras taking a swing at Youkilis. Ramirez and Youkilis yelled at each other and had to be separated by teammates, coaches, and training staff. Youkilis headed out to the field still yelling at Ramirez, while Ramirez was escorted into the tunnel leading to the clubhouse by bench coach Brad Mills and trainer Paul Lessard.
Later in the season, during a series with the Houston Astros, Ramirez had a physical altercation with elderly Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick. The two were arguing over McCormick's inability to fill Ramirez's large game-day request for 16 tickets to the game in Houston. Ramirez pushed the 64-year-old McCormick to the ground after telling him "Just do your job." The two were quickly separated and Ramirez later offered a public apology but did not apologize to McCormick in person until 2014. The matter was dealt with internally, and Ramirez was fined $10,000–15,000.
On July 25, after sitting out a game against the Seattle Mariners with a sore knee, Ramirez was slated to start against the Yankees. However, several minutes before the game, he informed manager Terry Francona, through a bench coach, that he would not be playing. During the series, Ramirez was directed to an area hospital for MRIs on both his knees; the results showed no damage. When back in action, Ramirez frequently failed to run out ground balls. Assuming that this was due to his displeasure about his contract situation (Ramirez could become a free agent at season's end, but the Red Sox held 2 years of team options they had not yet exercised), many Red Sox fans and reporters, including Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, called for Ramirez to be traded. Despite all these distractions, Ramirez did continue to hit solidly when on the field, as he batted .299 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI through the first 100 games of the season.
