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Tue, Jul 14th 2009, 14:36
Marlins' Hanley Ramirez a rising star among All-Stars
Hanley Ramirez will start his second straight All-Star Game tonight because he received 3,218,917 votes, more than any NL shortstop, from fans across the country.
But his Marlins teammates need only to watch the replay of one of his at-bats last week for confirmation on why Ramirez belongs on the field at Busch Stadium with the game’s top players.
Sidelined with a nagging right hip flexor, Ramirez hadn’t seen live pitching in five days when he was called on to pinch-hit in the eighth inning Thursday night. On the mound was left-hander Scott Schoeneweis, Arizona’s hard-throwing veteran.
Ramirez battled for seven pitches, breaking his bat on a foul ball, before slapping a 3-2 fastball to right field for a single. His teammates laughed and shook their heads.
“That’s not fair,” said outfielder Brett Carroll. “For five days he doesn’t play, then off a guy throwing 95 he hits a rocket to right field.
“I’m fortunate to pick his brain about hitting.”
Ramirez’s ability to adapt and to hit the ball to all fields is a big reason why he leads the National League with a .349 batting average.
“People say if you want to hit .300, you’ve got to go the other way, too,” said Ramirez, who is joined in St. Louis by Marlins’ right-hander Josh Johnson.
This is Ramirez’s first full season batting third in the Marlins’ batting order, but he’ll lead off tonight for the National League team. Hometown hero Albert Pujols of the Cardinals will hit third.
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