With 0-fer, latest chapter in Ramirez saga appears over
Those gearing up for a showdown yesterday between the Red Sox and volatile left fielder Manny Ramírez got little more than a whimper. Ramírez didn't sit out in protest, he didn't complain about right knee soreness, and he was not suspended. Instead, Ramírez was listed on the lineup card, which was posted later than normal, then strode to the plate in the first inning to a mixed reaction from the capacity crowd at Fenway Park.
On Friday, in the opening game of the series against the Yankees, Ramírez begged off playing, citing the knee soreness that had cropped up Wednesday, keeping him out of the lineup in Seattle. The Red Sox were not amused, with a highly placed source saying Ramírez was expected in the lineup yesterday or the team would consider it an act of defiance and suspend him.
"Don't worry about it," Ramírez said as he walked through the clubhouse before the game and before any questions were asked. "I'm not going to talk. I'm going to play, that's it."
Asked about his status, he said, "Check the lineup. I'm in the lineup."
He was. So with the return of Ramírez, there's a new focus for the Sox. Because it would be extremely difficult to trade him, given he has the power to veto any deal because of his 10-5 status and the unlikelihood of getting equal value in return, keeping Ramírez on the field is key. Getting him to stay in the lineup, and stay productive, appears to be the best way of handling the situation for the organization.
Even if he stays in the lineup, there remains a question about whether he is a distraction for the team. With the Sox playing a big series against the Yankees, who won for the second straight day at Fenway Park, it isn't a good time for off-field antics.
"I don't know. You guys know more about it than I do," said a testy Dustin Pedroia when asked whether Ramírez had become a distraction. "I don't pay attention to that. Name's in the lineup, you go play. That's how it should be around here."
It wasn't Friday.
"This week, you know what, we had some misunderstandings," Sox manager Terry Francona said. "There's no way getting around that. It doesn't mean he's a bad person. We expect a lot; again when things don't go right, we try to make them right."
But that doesn't mean the organization's patience has not been wearing thin, as the team demonstrated with its willingness to suspend Ramírez had he not played yesterday.
"I don't think I'll ever change my stance when we're talking about disciplinary things," Francona said in response to a question about whether the club talked to Ramírez about possible punishment. "I'm not comfortable ever having that be public. I know this is a very public place, what we're doing, but I think my responsibility is to put our team and our ball club first. How we handle disciplinary issues has got to remain internal. That's just how I feel about it. That'll never change."
On Friday, while Francona was meeting with the media, Ramírez told bench coach Brad Mills he could not play. The news prompted Francona to remove Ramírez from the lineup. But apparently things changed after the game with Ramírez informing the manager he could play in Game 2 of the series. And so there he was back in his customary cleanup spot yesterday.
"Obviously we had some conversations [Friday] night," Francona said. "One thing leads to another, we just wanted to talk through some things and make sure we were all on the same page like we do with everybody."
That page, at least yesterday, did lead to some production from Ramírez. The slugger grounded into a fielder's choice in the first inning, scoring Kevin Youkilis and giving Boston a 2-0 lead. It was Ramírez's 1,667th RBI, tying him for 23d on the all-time list with Sammy Sosa. Ramírez finished 0 for 4. After the game, he walked through the clubhouse without speaking to reporters.
Despite his consistent production, which will ultimately land him in the Hall of Fame, it's rarely easy when it concerns Ramírez. Though the season started out placid, with Ramírez engaging the media more frequently following an increased offseason training program, it turned in a hurry. First, Ramírez and Youkilis got into an altercation in the dugout June 5 during a game against the Rays. That was followed by Ramírez shoving the team's traveling secretary to the ground in a dispute over a ticket request in Houston.
Over the All-Star break, Ramírez expressed anger that the team hadn't addressed his contract status, despite the fact that there is no reason for the organization to take any action on Ramírez's option until the season is over.
And then there was the knee and the prospect of a standoff between the player and the team.
"We've run into bumps in the road ever since I've been here and there have been some before I've been here," Francona said. "The result of two of the times has been a World Series ring. As a team, sometimes you fight through things, sometimes you work through things. It's not always perfect, but how you get to the end is what counts and that's what we're trying to do."
So, with Ramírez back in the lineup, does that mean the saga is over? At least for now?
"Yeah, it is, for me," Francona said. "I think as a manager, as a coach, when you feel like you've handled things appropriately or to the best of your ability, you try to move on and be better as a team. That's our goal. We always try to do that."
Gordon Edes of the Globe staff contributed to this report; Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com. 