Join the club: A.J. Ramos steps up, gets first career save
LOS ANGELES -- Miami Marlins right-hander A.J. Ramos doesn't know where the ball from his first big-league save is, and he doesn't really care.
Ramos, who pitched a perfect ninth inning to close out Miami's 5-4 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, was more concerned with helping the ballclub end the 10-game trip on a positive note.
"It doesn't really bother me," said Ramos, who appeared in his 164th game. "It's a ball. The experience was more important than the ball."
After consecutive blown saves by closer Steve Cishek on Sunday and Monday, manager Mike Redmond announced the Marlins would use him in earlier innings and work with a closer-by-committee until he got back on track.
The first opportunity came on Wednesday when the Marlins scored three runs in the seventh inning to capture the lead. Bryan Morris and Mike Dunn both worked scoreless frames to set Ramos up.
Earlier in the day, Ramos hung out with his parents who flew to San Francisco for the second leg of the trip and drove down to Los Angeles for the final three games. His routine remained the same once he got to the ballpark -- from working out to warming up.
Of course as he ran onto the field for the bottom of the ninth inning, the adrenaline felt a little more enhanced. So did the situation.
"Same as before, obviously a little more," Ramos said. "I definitely had to back it a little bit, hold the reins back 'cause if not I think I would have been a little bit wild. As easy as possible and get the job done tonight.
"I'm more excited for my parents because they were here. They got to see it. That was pretty cool because they didn't get to see my debut (on Sept. 4, 2012) because my mom had surgery that day. They got to see my first save. I'm more excited for them."
Ramos' first pitch -- a 93 mph fastball -- went for strike one against pinch-hitter Jimmy Rollins. It's exactly what he wanted to accomplish versus a batter who had been known to make him work. Ramos got a strikeout looking with a 93 mph fastball.
On his second strikeout, Yasmani Grandal missed on an 86 mph changeup. For the final out, Ramos induced a flyout to right by Andre Ethier, who had reached on eight of his previous nine plate appearances. What his good friend and roommate Giancarlo Stanton did with the ball has yet to be revealed.
Ramos attacked the zone, throwing seven of his 11 pitches for strikes to retire the side in order. "I thought he looked confident and solid out there," Redmond said. "You talk about tempo. It's getting the ball and throwing it. When you throw a strike you come back with another one. The key to locking down and closing games is throwing strikes. It seems simple, but that's what you have to do. You can't get into deep counts and you can't walk guys. Those are all things we've had some trouble with this roadtrip. We've given up some walks and they've haunted us."
As a minor leaguer, Ramos recorded 83 saves, his last coming in 2012 as a member of the Double-A Jacksonville Suns. He blew a ninth-inning major-league save on May 4, 2014, against the San Diego Padres.
The closer role will likely go back to Cishek once he rebounds. After all, he has 94 saves since 2011. Until then, the Marlins will continue to play matchups.
"I'm approaching it the exact same way I approach every inning, and everybody is," Ramos said. "Everybody's getting ready to throw whenever. I said from the beginning, I'm throwing whenever they need me. This year it's been from the sixth to the ninth. Same thing. Still ready anytime. Hopefully just get the job done no matter when I pitch.
"It feels good. I'm not going to relish in it too much because if I've got to go out there Friday... This one's gone. I'll celebrate it tonight with my family. Forget about it. On to the next one."
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
