Updates
Mon, Mar 23rd 2009, 10:22
Ramirez's return is hailed
If the Marlins looked different Saturday, it’s because they were.
Hanley Ramirez was back in the starting lineup.
He’s not just this team’s superstar. He’s more than the face of the franchise; he’s the face of the future. That’s one reason when the Marlins signed Ramirez to that six-year, $70 million deal last summer, they held the news conference at the site of the Orange Bowl rubble, where the new ballpark would be built.
The whole team smiled when Ramirez, who is coming back from tendinitis in his right shoulder, found himself back in the starting lineup playing shortstop.
‘‘He changes everything,’‘ said Wes Helms, who started at third Saturday. ``He can totally change the whole lineup. That’s what he does when he is in there. He is a deadly threat every time he comes to the plate.’‘
Even after a rain delay of 2 hours and 39 minutes, Ramirez played. He wanted to be in there, and the Marlins were eager to see him back in the lineup.
‘‘With the rain, I was hesitant to getting him in here, but I kept checking the field, and the grounds crew did a great job,’‘ Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ``It was good to see him in there, getting three at-bats. He sure makes this team better.’‘
Ramirez, who missed a week, went 0 for 2 with a sacrifice fly and committed an error, but he is back, and that’s the best news the Marlins have heard lately.
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