Manny Ramirez Greeted with Cheers in his Return to L.A.

Sports Betting News - July 17, 2009 - Written by Bruce

The Dodgers hosted the Astros last night in what marked the return of the ever popular Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles. He was greeted with cheers as this was his first game back in front of his home fans since serving a 50 game suspension for violating MLB's substance abuse policy. Houston beat L.A. 3-0 last night behind a great pitching performance by their starter Wandy Rodriguez. However, the buzz surrounding the game was all about the return of Manny. Dodgers fans have been captivated by Ramirez since he joined the team last season. He has become extremely popular among their fan base and even has his own section in the stadium named after him, "Mannywood". Last night the crowd was ecstatic to have their beloved slugger back. The stadium was filled with cheers and thousands of fans chanted Manny's name greeting him very warmly welcoming him home. In what seemed secondary to just him returning back to L.A., Ramirez finished the night 1-4 with two strikeouts.

Ramirez was suspended by Major League Baseball back on May 7th. The Dodgers have had the best record in the major leagues almost this entire season. They more than just maintained ground while he was suspended, as the Dodgers went 29-21 without him. A big reason for their success was Juan Pierre who filled in and played excellent while Ramirez was out. Pierre is hitting .327 this season with 23 steals and was greeted to a standing ovation last night when he came into the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. With Manny's return it was inevitable that Pierre would end up taking a back seat, as Ramirez is one of the best hitters in the game. The Dodgers team seems to rally around Manny and he is able to boost the confidence of the entire team when he is in the lineup. Manny has been one of the top hitters in the game throughout his career. It was a big shock to fans nationwide when he was banned this season. Many fans are eager to see if Ramirez can continue to put up the incredible numbers which gave him the reputation as one of the best hitters to ever play the game.

The Houston Astros starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez pitched a gem last night as he pitched six scoreless innings earning the win. One of the key moments in the game occurred in the 5th inning when the Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier hit into a bases loaded double play. Ramirez was on deck but was not given a chance as Ethier's double play ended the inning. The win dropped the Dodgers to 56-33 while Houston improved to one game over .500 at 45-44.