The way the crowd reacted, you’d have thought Manny had hit #500 at Fenway Park. Throughout the whole game it was hard to tell if there were many Oriole fans there.
Manny, as he has done many times in the past, meandered around the plate to enjoy the moment and the majestic flight of the ball as it cruised out over the right field wall into Row P (about 15 rows back) to who else?…a Red Sox Fan! Red Sox Nation was there in big numbers and I think I would have been surprised had an Orioles fan caught it.
So, a day after his 36th birthday, Manny joins an exclusive club of only 24 players, the same number on the back of his jersey, who have reached the lofty mark. And he’s in some pretty impressive company with names like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas and Ted Williams.
“As soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone. I was happy to move on,” said Ramirez. “It was great. I’ve been trying so hard the past three weeks just to get it done. It finally came, and I’m happy. I’m proud of myself and all the things that I accomplished. So now I can go and have fun.”
His teammates were just as excited as the fans… Mike Lowell, the on-deck hitter met Manny at the plate and gave him a big hug - Big Papi and Julio Lugo met Manny at the top of the dugout and all three hugged and hopped up and down like kids. It was almost as much fun to watch as the homerun…almost. The rest of the team greeted Manny with the same excitement and enthusiasm. They were both happy for Manny and like the rest of us, impressed with his accomplishment.
When asked what’s next on his agenda? Manny responded #501! …what else right?
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