Today's Entertainment

BY GEORGE DICKIE It's a familiar story in sports: An athlete signs a huge contract, gets complacent and underperforms. But don't tell that to Jose Ramirez. Since agreeing to a five-year, $124 million contract extension in April, the Cleveland Guardians' three-time All-Star third baseman has been on an absolute tear in the season's first 11 games that has the team at the top of the American League Central standings and Ramirez leading the league in batting average (.469) and RBIs (20) and in the top five in home runs (four), on-base percentage (.479) and OPS (1.360). Granted, this is a small sample size but the numbers certainly aren't uncharacteristic of the 29-year-old Dominican slugger. Clevelanders always knew that they had a superstar in their midst but his torrid start to 2022 is making all of baseball sit up and take notice. His prowess was most definitively on display in an April 20 doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, when his grand slam homer and five RBIs paved the way for a Guardians sweep of their AL Central rivals. Since becoming a regular in 2016, Ramirez has performed at a very high level, averaging 26 homers and 83 RBIs per year with on- base figures usually in the mid-to-high .300s and an OPS generally north of .900. He's a legitimate superstar, one that the small market Guardians thought of highly enough to open up their vaults and compensate accordingly. Ramirez and the Guardians can be seen in action Saturday, May 28, when they continue a three-game road series against the division rival Detroit Tigers in a game airing on FS1. Guardians' Ramirez on a tear in season's fi rst month • FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 23 - 29, 2022 • Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia star in the series fi nale of "This Is Us" Tuesday on NBC. YOUR WEEKLY GUIDE TO TV ENTERTAINMENT

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