MLB
Unstoppable: Dominican Ramirez adds his fifth straight 20-20 season in the majors
Only five players have reached or surpassed those numbers to date.
José Ramírez is congratulated by teammates at a game in Cleveland.
Unstoppable. Dominican José Ramírez reached 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases for the fifth consecutive year in Major League Baseball. Ramirez reached the milestone by being the standout performer in the Cleveland Cardinals victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Ramirez, 32, reached the mark Monday with an impressive three-run home run in the first inning. The Dominican also has 29 stolen bases in his 96 games this season.
Ramírez, sixth man to reach the milestone
Throughout his career, Ramirez has totaled seven campaigns with a record of at least 20-20, an accomplishment that only five players have previously achieved in the majors.
Puerto Rican Carlos Beltran and American Eric Davis also reached 20-20 in seven seasons, while Venezuelan Bobby Abreu did it in nine campaigns and Barry and Bobby Bonds in ten.
Exchange of blows
The game was an exchange of blows, with fellow Dominican Ramón Laureano hitting a home run and driving in four runs for the Orioles.
Cleveland took the first round of the series and has strung together nine wins in its last 11 games, bouncing back from a 10-game losing streak.
Cleveland 'passes' on Trump and is 'excited' about its future as Guardians
Bringing the name back to the Indians "is not something I've been following or even paid much attention to," said Chris Antonetti, the team's president of baseball operations. "We've had the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and we're excited about the future," he added.
Soto leads Metz to victory over Angelinos
Elsewhere, the New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Angelinos 7x5 on a decisive hit by Dominican star Juan Soto.
The Queens ninth was down 5x2 going into the seventh inning when Soto connected on an unearned hit that allowed Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor and Venezuelan Luisangel Acuña to drive through the register and even the scoreboard.
The Metz fall in a lackluster game for Aaron Judge
Their neighbors Yankees, on the other hand, fell 4x1 to the Toronto Azulejos on a lackluster night from their star, Aaron Judge.
Another of Monday's big performances came from Venezuela's Salvador Perez with two home runs and four runs batted in in the Kansas City Royals 12x4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Braves win powered by Drake Baldwin
In Atlanta, the Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 9x5 with three hits and six runs batted in by Drake Baldwin.
Venezuelan Ronald Acuña Jr. contributed to the win with three hits, one hit and three walks. For the Californians, Dominican Willy Adames had four hits and drove in two runs.
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