Throwback Thursday: Hanley Ramirez Hits First Home Run With Dodgers

Hanley Ramirez was as hot as any hitter in MLB last season as the Los Angeles Dodgers made their push into the postseason. Ramirez continued his hot hitting in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves but was then derailed by a Joe Kelly pitch that hit him in the ribs, causing a hairline fracture. Ramirez never recovered in the NLCS and many expected him to take 2014 by storm.

Ramirez got off to a slow start this season and was starting to come on before he was hit on the left hand by a Ryan Vogelsong fastball. Ramirez has since struggled before breaking out of his slump, at least momentarily, in the Dodgers’ 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

Despite his struggles, Ramirez figures to factor heavily in the Dodgers success this season. The Dodgers acquired Ramirez in 2012 after his relationship with the then Florida Marlins reached its tipping point. Ramirez instantly had a positive impact with the Dodgers, hitting .364 with his new team through two games.

Absent from Ramirez’s resurgence with the Dodgers was a home run. That changed however, in Ramirez’s third game with the Boys in Blue when he came to the plate with the Dodgers playing the San Francisco Giants. The game was tied in the 10th and Sergio Romo was on the mound with a runner on first and two away. Romo hung an 0-1 breaking ball, which Ramirez crushed over the left-center field fence to give the Dodgers’ the decided 5-3 edge.
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