José Ramírez simply needs to be José Ramírez for the Guardians to have success in ALCS Game 3

Ramírez posted a .326 batting average with 72 RBI in 144 at-bats with runners in scoring position during the regular season. According to Baseball Reference, he is a career .263 hitter in 547 at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position and a .298 hitter in 1,136 high-leverage plate appearances.

But during Cleveland's playoff run, Ramírez has drawn attention from opposing pitchers befitting a superstar of his caliber. So far this postseason, Ramírez is batting .167 with two home runs and four RBI with a .768 OPS in 24 at-bats. He walked four times, but three of those were intentional walks by opponents.

He is batting .077 against starting pitchers and .273 against relievers and is 1-for-7 (.143) with a strikeout in 10 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.

Vogt said Ramírez's ability to consistently come through in critical situations created an expectation that something good would happen whenever he stepped into work. That kind of pressure can be unfair, but Vogt said Ramírez created his own high standards with consistently brilliant play.

“Josey just has to be himself,” Vogt said. “We all expect him to make the big shot every time he gets up there, but he did this to himself.”

Vogt said that if anything, Ramírez was probably over-accepting the responsibility of being “that guy.”

“Whenever you’re around an elite player like that, they want the moment,” Vogt said. “They want to be the guy, and they make a living out of it. We've seen it all year, Josey has done that. He stepped up for us in big situations and I expect nothing less.”

Ramírez hit .293 with three home runs, eight RBI and a .947 OPS in 41 career at-bats against Cleveland's Game 3 starter Matthew Boyd before Boyd was traded to the Guardians this season.

The veteran left-hander said that over the course of your career, when you face someone from 18 yards away, you tend to build narratives in your head about the guy. Some are true, some are not.

“The coolest thing about Josey is the way he’s ready to play every day,” Boyd said. “The guy is a gamer. It doesn't matter how he feels. He’s the same every day.”

Boyd said it gives a different vibe to see Ramírez working from the other side of the field. In the clubhouse, where Boyd's locker is right next to Ramírez's, he sees firsthand why Ramírez is described with words like “spark plug” and “leader.”

“When the game is on the line, he’s the guy you want in the box and the ball is going his way,” Boyd said. “Because you know he’s always going to make a great appearance.”