Around New England

Former Red Sox Player Manny Ramirez To Play Professional Baseball in Australia, At Age 48

August 29, 2020

Former Boston Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez has signed a contract to play professional baseball in Australia, at age 48.

Ramirez, who played left field for the World Series-winning Red Sox teams of 2004 and 2007 and was the dominant right-handed hitter in the major leagues, signed a one-year deal with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League, according to news reports, which did not say how much he is being paid.

The season is scheduled to start in mid-December.

While with the Red Sox, Ramirez was known for “Manny Being Manny” moments, such as diving to cut off a throw from fellow outfielder Johnny Damon that was meant to go to the infield, high-fiving a fan in the stands between making a catch and making a throw to the infield for a double play, being late for the first pitch of an inning because he was inside the left field Wall at Fenway Park, asking for an appeal of a strike call from the first base umpire when the home plate umpire had already decided he hadn’t swung, and keeping wads of cash in the glove compartment of his car in the players’ parking lot at Fenway.

Ramirez is still being paid about $2 million a year by the Red Sox even though he last played for the team in 2008, according to MassLive.com — installments from his original eight-year $160-million contract that are supposed to continue until 2026.