CLEVELAND -- There aren't many people left in the Indians' organization who witnessed it, but bullpen coach Luis Isaac was there all the way.
It was one of the most remarkable seasons from a righthanded hitter: Manny Ramírez, 1999.
The Red Sox left fielder was then the Indians' right fielder. He mainly batted fourth in the talented Cleveland lineup and had 100 RBIs by July 23 -- the 93d game -- when he drove in three against Houston in a 7-1 Indians victory.
Many are making much of Alex Rodriguez's 100 RBIs with the Yankees this year -- as they should because 100 RBIs before the end of July is the stuff of legend.
But Ramírez really had it going that summer. Ramírez finished July with 108 RBIs and completed the season with 165 RBIs, as well as 131 runs, 44 home runs, and a .333 average.
Isaac remembers a hitter that came up to the plate with runners on base with a unique focus.
"I'm not saying that Manny didn't try when he didn't have runners on, but on that team we had a lot of good hitters -- like Robbie Alomar and Omar Vizquel and Jim Thome, David Justice -- and Manny always came up with people on base. It was like Manny felt he could deliver the run home any time he wanted to. It was amazing to watch. At the end of the season, you look and he has 165 RBIs and you just shake your head because that's so many."
Isaac said he and Ramirez had a father-son relationship. Often times Isaac would spend time speaking to Ramírez about playing the game properly, running hard down the line and not jogging after balls.
"Not too often really, but once in a while Manny had to be reminded. But he was a good kid who really loved to hit and you could just see he had a remarkable talent for it," Isaac said. "He understood what the pitcher was trying to do with him. I know that's continued over the years. I mean, I don't follow him like I used to since he left here [after the 2000 season], but I keep in touch with him. He's a friend and he'll always be a friend.
"It was sad when he didn't come back here because everyone knew what a great talent he was. You don't see that come by very often, but that year was special. Every time you had a guy on, you expected Manny to drive him in."
When Isaac speaks of Ramírez's proficiency with runners on base, he wasn't kidding. Ramírez hit .383 with runners in scoring position with a .481 on-base percentage and a .755 slugging percentage for a 1.236 OPS. With men on base, Ramírez raked at a .377 clip with 26 homers and 147 RBIs. With two outs and runners in scoring position, he hit .375. Overall, in 147 games, he had a .442 on-base percentage and a .663 slugging percentage.
