Ramírez hit .326 with 72 RBI during the regular season in 144 at-bats with runners in scoring position. He is a career .263 hitter in 547 at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position, and a .298 hitter in 1,136 high-leverage at-bats, according to Baseball Reference.

But during the playoffs in Cleveland, Ramírez has attracted the attention of opposing pitchers who are a match for a superstar of his caliber. So far this postseason, Ramírez is hitting .167 with two home runs and four RBI with a .768 OPS in 24 at-bats. He has drawn four walks, but three of those were intentional walks by opponents.

He is hitting .077 against starting pitchers and .273 against relievers, and is 1 for 7 (.143) with a strikeout in 10 at bats with runners in scoring position.

Vogt said Ramírez’s ability to regularly come through in clutch situations has created expectations that something good will happen when he steps to the plate. That kind of pressure can be unfair, but Vogt said Ramírez created his own high standards with consistently brilliant play.

“Josey just has to be himself,” Vogt said. “We all expect him to get a big hit every time he gets there, but he did that to himself.”

Vogt said Ramírez is probably embracing the responsibility of being “the man” too much.

“Anytime you’re around an elite player like that, they want the moment,” Vogt said. “They want to be the man, and they thrive on that. We’ve seen it all year, Josey has done that. He has gone above and beyond for us in big situations, and I expect nothing less.”

Ramírez hit .293 with three home runs, eight RBI and a .947 OPS in 41 career at-bats against Cleveland’s Game 3 starter Matthew Boyd before Boyd joined the Guardians this season.

The veteran southpaw said that throughout your career, when you encounter someone 60 feet away, you tend to build stories about the man in your head. Some are true, and some are not.

“The coolest thing about Josey is the way he comes ready to play every day,” Boyd said. “The man is a gamer. It doesn’t matter how he feels. He’s the same guy every day.”

Boyd said seeing Ramírez on the other side of the field gives it a different atmosphere. In the clubhouse, where Boyd’s locker is right next to Ramírez’s, he sees firsthand why Ramírez is described with words like “spark plug” and “leader.”

“When the game is on the line, he’s the guy you want in the box with the ball going his way,” Boyd said. “Because you know he’s always going to make a big play.”