Jose Ramirez reaches 250-250 milestone, then scores winning run in Guardians' walk-off 4-3 victory

CLEVELAND — José Ramírez picked the perfect opportunity to join another exclusive baseball club. Cleveland's six-time All-Star became the first primary third baseman in history to reach 250 career homers and 250 stolen bases Thursday during the 10th inning. He then scored the winning run on pinch hitter Angel Martinez's single for a 4-3 victory over the Twins. "At that moment, the last thing you're thinking is any milestones or personal records," Ramirez said through an interpreter. "To me it was where we had the chance to get running, obviously get in a position where I can score with a base hit given the situation of the game." Ramírez is the first player in Cleveland franchise history to reach 250 career homers and 250 steals. Ramírez's single drove in Steven Kwan to tie it at 3. Ramírez then stole second base to become the 24th player in major league history — and only active one — to reach the milestone. After Kyle Manzardo was intentionally walked, Martínez hit a sharp grounder into right field to score Ramírez and give Cleveland its second walk-off win of the four-game series. The Guardians took three games in the four-game set and went 6-4 on their 10-game homestand. There were two rain delays totaling 2 hours, 23 minutes on Weather Education Day. An 18-minute rain delay between the sixth and seventh innings ended up benefiting the Twins. Minnesota scored a pair of runs in the seventh and took advantage of Cleveland's fielders struggling with damp conditions. Harrison Bader led off the inning with an infield single after Cleveland third baseman Will Wilson slipped while fielding the grounder. Bader scored on an RBI single by Christian Vázquez after right fielder Jhonkensy Noel slipped in right-center. Ramírez, who has 260 homers, got his 250th steal with one out in the 10th inning. The 32-year old native of the Dominican Republic is just the second switch hitter to reach the milestone, joining Carlos Beltrán (435 homers, 312 stolen bases). "It's a testament to hard work for a really long time and being really, really good for a long time," manager Stephen Vogt said. "He came through big with the hit and then he gets the stolen base in the milestone and scores a winning run as well. He should have. He just continues to get accolade after accolade and I really enjoy watching it." After Manzardo got aboard on the intentional walk, Ramírez acknowledged the small crowd still at Progressive Field after the rain delays and pointed at the scoreboard when it showed he had reached the milestone. "It was a good moment, but especially seeing all the guys on the dugout trying to cheer me on and chanting my name. So that's kind of like something that make me smile," he said. He made sure he got the base to add to his collection, saying it would join the three other bases he has marking other accomplishments. Ramírez dazzles his teammates on an almost daily basis, so it's not a surprise to them that he's added his name to another elite list. "He's a guy that leads by example," catcher Bo Naylor said. "He goes out there, plays his hardest, and when you see one of the leaders on your team doing that, there's no excuse for you to not be able to do that. He takes on that role himself and just does such a good job of keeping all of us accountable without making his voice heard in a way. "He's one of the guys that makes this whole team go and every accomplishment that he's had come along the way, it's been super awesome to be able to witness it and be able to celebrate it with him afterward." Along with the other milestones, Ramírez joins Robin Yount, Craig Biggio and Derek Jeter as the only players to accomplish the 250-250 feat with one team. "Milestones are important, but for me the really important part is to keep playing and trying to win," said Ramirez, who made his big league debut in 2013. "Winning is the most important thing for me and I feel still young. I feel like I can still continue doing this and hopefully we can continue adding up." Key moment Cleveland had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth but was unable to convert when Jhoan Duran struck out Bo Naylor and Kwan. Key stat Guardians outfielder Jhonkensy Noel hit a 450-foot home run in the fifth inning. The solo shot to left-center off Simeon Woods Richardson tied his longest homer at Progressive Field and marked the 12th time since MLB Statcast started in 2015 that a Cleveland batter had gone at least 450 feet deep at home. Up next Twins: Head to Boston for a weekend series. RHP Joe Ryan (2-2, 3.18 ERA) gets the call for Friday's opener. Guardians: Begin a six-game road trip in Toronto on Friday. LHP Logan Allen (1-2, 4.21 ERA) looks to bounce back after allowing seven runs Sunday against Boston. Freelancer Tom Withers contributed to this story.