Here’s the context behind Manny Ramirez’s comments about Derek Jeter
"If you haven’t played in Boston or New York, you’re not in the big leagues."
The Red Sox defeated the Tigers on Money, 5-2. Boston will host Detroit again this evening at 7:10 p.m.
Manny Ramirez’s comments about Derek Jeter: Manny Ramirez was at Fenway Park for Monday’s game to throw out the first pitch and receive his Red Sox Hall of Fame plaque (which was given to him by friend and former teammate David Ortiz).
Ramirez then made the journey to the NESN broadcast booth, where he sat for a period of time alongside Kevin Millar and Dennis Eckersley.
Among the many subjects covered, the group discussed why playing in bigger baseball markets can make a difference in a player’s career. While Eckersley acknowledged that playing in Boston was accompanied by “a lot of pressure,” Ramirez noted that coming to Boston from Cleveland helped propel him to his full potential.
“You gotta understand this: If you haven’t played in Boston or New York, you’re not in the big leagues,” Ramirez explained.
He then added a line referencing former Yankees shortstop (and Red Sox rival), Derek Jeter.
“It’s like if you put Jeter in Kansas City in those years, he was just a regular player,” said Ramirez.
“You put him on that big stage, you hit .400 in the postseason for many, many years, he’s the greatest in the history,” said Millar.
“He’s the greatest,” Ramirez responded.
“It makes you better,” Ramirez added of playing baseball in Boston. “Because you’ve got to be ready. Because they will let you know. They will let you know when you’re not right. To be honest with you, when I was with Cleveland, I was playing and I was a good player. But when I came to Boston. I got better because the fans, they will let you know that you wasn’t playing right. They push you.”
Of course, Ramirez’s comments that Jeter would’ve been “just a regular player” were shared around Twitter (in some cases without full context). Yet in reality, it was an example of the retired Red Sox slugger paying credit to a former rival.
Trivia: Derek Jeter is sixth all-time in MLB history for career hits. Can you name the five players who rank above him?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: The teams that they played a majority of their careers for are: Cleveland, St. Louis (Cardinals), Milwaukee/Atlanta, Detroit, and Cincinnati.
More from Boston.com:
- Watch: Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz take the field together at Fenway
- Franchy Cordero’s 3 hits, 2 RBIs help Red Sox top Tigers 5-2
- 2022 NBA Draft guide: When the Celtics pick, top prospects, and more
- Rob Refsnyder making the most of his chance as Red Sox try to do the same
- Prospect Jeter Downs joins Red Sox active roster for first time
- Here’s the Celtics’ Summer League schedule
- All the ways Draymond Green trolled the Celtics over the weekend
- Brock Holt plans to run Boston Marathon in 2023 to support Dana-Farber
- FINA restricts transgender women from competing at elite level
- ‘Sometimes it’s good to be a bit different’: Golfers praised The Country Club, Boston crowd at US Open
- Kyrie Irving reportedly at an ‘impasse’ with the Nets, could test open market
David Ortiz with Xander Bogaerts:
Some Kyrie Irving commentary: With Irving potentially set to opt out of his contract with the Nets, it could become a repeat of his Boston exit.
On this day: In 1997, the Bruins selected Joe Thornton with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft. Boston then picked Sergei Samsonov with the eighth overall pick.
Daily highlight: Andrei Vasilevskiy made multiple stops in this sequence, including a full extension save in the Lightning’s crucial Game 3 Stanley Cup Finals win.
Trivia answer: Tris Speaker, Stan Musial, Henry Aaron, Ty Cobb, and Pete Rose
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com