There will be no shortage of former Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium on Sunday evening.
The New York Mets (Jose Iglesias, J.D. Martinez, Adam Ottavino) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (Ryan Brasier, Kiké Hernández, Mookie Betts) both have three ex-Red Sox players on their respective National League Championship Series rosters. The Senior Circuit’s No. 1 seed also is managed by Dave Roberts, a postseason hero in Boston.
But before the Mets and the Dodgers kick off their best-of-seven series, one of the Red Sox’s all-time greatest players will handle an important duty in Chavez Ravine.
Manny Ramirez will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before NLCS Game 1, per the New York Daily News’ Abbey Mastracco. Ramirez spent parts of three seasons with the Dodgers after his remarkable Boston tenure and helped LA reach the NLCS in both 2008 and 2009. MLB’s all-time leader in playoff home runs (29), Ramirez hit the last five postseason round-trippers of his career with the Dodgers.
Ironically enough, Los Angeles could end up meeting another one of Ramirez’s former teams in the World Series. Cleveland, Ramirez’s home for the first eight years of his career, will battle the New York Yankees for the American League pennant.