There's no better way to return from injury than with a statement grand slam

By Andrew Mearns

September 24, 2019

Everyone loves a good comeback story. Think about Michael Jordan announcing his triumphant return to the NBA with the two-word statement of "I'm back," or Sylvester Stallone bringing Rocky Balboa back after over a decade of retirement from the big screen with one of the best films he ever made.

That's the kind of story that José Ramírez is trying to write with the Indians. After consecutive MVP-caliber seasons, he looked lost at the plate in the first half, and just when he was returning to form in August, he broke a bone in his hand on a hit-by-pitch. It seemed like Ramírez's season would come to an early end, and with it, perhaps Cleveland's best hope at returning to the postseason.

Incredibly, thanks to an injury rehab that probably mirrored a Rocky training montage, Ramírez stormed back into the Indians lineup far quicker than expected. He returned on Tuesday night against the White Sox, and in his first at-bat, he made about as powerful a statement as you could ever hope for by launching a grand slam.

In his 1st AB since having hand surgery...

JRam. Grand slam.

BRUH. pic.twitter.com/AxfRIKrrGC
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No one ever really wants to be forgotten, but when you spend time away, the risk is always there. After all, the injury led to a pretty gnarly surgery. (For those who are not squeamish, this was the scar.) The questions keep building. To answer them all with a booming grand slam in your first at-bat? That's special.

This was Jordan dropping 55 points on the Knicks at less than two weeks after announcing his return.

This was Rocky muscling up at age 61 to somehow go toe-to-toe with the far younger reigning heavyweight champion.

To add to the sweetness of the moment, Cleveland really needs to keep winning to stay alive in the competitive race for the AL Wild Card. Ramírez's slam helped Ohio hearts relax just a little bit. The second dinger was just gravy.