Cleveland's José Ramírez hits 3 homers and claims another piece of Guardians history

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — José Ramírez hit three homers and carried the Guardians to a victory Friday night. The slugger claimed another place in Cleveland baseball history in the process.

Ramírez hit a solo homer in the first, a tying two-run shot in the fifth and another solo shot in the ninth inning of the Guardians' 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, ending Cleveland's three-game skid.

Ramírez's 26th career multi-homer game moved him even with Albert Belle and Jim Thome for the most multi-homer performances in the history of a franchise that began play in 1901. It was also the second three-homer game of Ramírez’s career, which has been spent entirely with Cleveland.

“I appreciate these types of days,” Ramírez said through an interpreter. “Sometimes it’s hard to hit one, and then when you hit three, you just thank God for these type of games, and most importantly because we won.”

Ramírez connected twice off Angels starter José Soriano, homering on two low breaking balls that looked quite similar — both on the way in to the plate and on the way out of right field.

He got his third off a high fastball from rookie Caden Dana, adding an insurance run that helped the Guardians to survive the Angels' two-run rally later in the ninth.

Ramírez also hit three homers on June 8, 2023, at home against Boston. His 259 homers are the second-most in Cleveland history, trailing only Thome's 337.

Ramírez's coaches and teammates could only marvel at another signature night from a superstar who doesn't always get his due.

“Best player in the world,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said with a grin. “Man, he’s some kind of impressive. What a great night. Really picked us up on a night where we needed a lot of offense, and our best player came through the way those guys do. They step up. They know when we need that. They just have a knack for finding ways to do that. A three-homer game, those are so rare in itself, but to be able to witness it and to have him do it the way he did was really impressive.”

Ramírez did it six days after spraining his right wrist while sliding in Kansas City, a mishap that forced him to miss one game and has left him still missing a large chunk of skin on his hand.

The Guardians expect such feats from Ramírez, the six-time All-Star who made the All-MLB first team last season while leading Cleveland to 92 victories, the AL Central crown and the AL Championship Series. He led the Guardians in homers (39), RBIs (118) and stolen bases (41), barely missing the 40-40 club.

He hasn't stolen a base yet in 2025, but he's off to a strong start in the quest for his first 40-homer season.

“You always want good outcomes every time you hit,” Ramírez said. “Sometimes you hit the first homer, and then you don’t hit anything after that. We got good results.”

Ramírez's evening wasn't all good: He botched Luis Rengifo's two-out grounder to third in the third inning for his third error in three games. Jo Adell followed with a two-run single that put the Angels up 4-2.

Vogt said he isn't worried about Ramírez’s rough defensive stretch, calling it “a blip” for the third baseman who finished second in Gold Glove voting last year. The manager also knew Ramírez’s next at-bats would be important to him after an error.

“You always find with the top players in the league, when they happen to make a mistake like that, they seem to make up for it right away,” Vogt said. “It happens all the time. But we’re going to continue working on defense.”

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Cleveland Guardians Jose Ramirez, center, celebrates with teammates after a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Cleveland Guardians Jose Ramirez, center, celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Cleveland Guardians Jose Ramirez, left, celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez runs the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive commission said Thursday it will put its retaliation measures against new U.S. tariffs on hold for 90 days to match President Donald Trump’s pause on his sweeping new tariffs and leave room for a negotiated solution.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the commission, which handles trade for the 27 member countries, “took note of the announcement by President Trump.”

New tariffs on 20.9 billion euros ($23 billion) of US goods will be put on hold for 90 days because “we want to give negotiations a chance,” she said in a statement.

But she warned: “If negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in.”

Trump imposed a 20% levy on goods from the EU as part of his onslaught of tariffs against global trading partners but has said he will pause them for 90 days to give countries a chance to negotiate solutions to U.S. trade concerns.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday welcomed President Donald Trump’s decision to temporarily halt most U.S. tariffs, but she did not say whether the European Union intends to press ahead with its own retaliatory measures.

“I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE,” Trump said, after recognizing the more than 75 countries that he said have been negotiating on trade and had not retaliated against his latest increases in tariffs. Countries subject to the pause will now be tariffed at 10%. The EU's rate was 20%, but it was not entirely clear how the 27-nation bloc would be impacted.

China was not included. Trump further jacked up the tax rate on Chinese imports to 125%.

Von der Leyen described the halt on reciprocal tariffs as “an important step towards stabilizing the global economy. Clear, predictable conditions are essential for trade and supply chains to function.”

Before Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, EU member countries voted to approve retaliatory tariffs on $23 billion in goods in response to his 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. The EU, the largest trading partner of the U.S., described them as “unjustified and damaging.”

The tariffs are set to go into effect in stages, some on April 15 and others on May 15 and Dec. 1. The EU commission didn’t immediately provide a list of the goods. The bloc’s top trade official has shuttled between Brussels and Washington for weeks trying to head off a conflict.

But Von der Leyen gave no sign that the EU’s timetable has changed. Spokesman Olof Gill noted that the commission “will now take the necessary time to assess this latest development, in close consultation with our member states and industry, before deciding on next steps.”

Members of the EU – the world’s largest trading bloc – repeated their preference for a negotiated deal to settle trade issues, and von der Leyen underscored that commitment, “with the goal of achieving frictionless and mutually beneficial trade.”

Still, the head of the EU’s executive branch – which negotiates trade deals and disputes on behalf of the member countries – said that Europe intends to diversify its trade partnerships.

She said that the EU will continue “engaging with countries that account for 87% of global trade and share our commitment to a free and open exchange of goods, services, and ideas,” and to lift barriers to commerce inside its own single market.

“Together, Europeans will emerge stronger from this crisis,” von der Leyen said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stands prior to a meeting with Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

The NYK Meteor container ship is moored at the Port of Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)