Manny Ramirez has no regrets, 'those mistakes helped me be a better person'

Jun. 21—Even after all these years, Manny Ramirez still has a way of doing things his own way.

Last month Ramirez was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame alongside his longtime teammate David Ortiz, but the former Red Sox left fielder missed out on the festivities. Instead he made his long-awaited return Monday night, receiving his plaque from Ortiz and throwing out the first pitch amid a raucous ovation from the Fenway Park crowd.

"It made me feel like I'm back home, like this is my home," Ramirez said. "Boston, those fans, they're the best. It doesn't matter how bad you do, they always remember you and they're always supporting you."

Ramirez's journey back into Boston's good graces wasn't always a foregone conclusion. He and the Red Sox parted on bad terms, with Ramirez forcing his way out of town in 2008 following a series of troubling incidents, most infamously his pushing down 64-year-old traveling secretary Jack McCormick over a ticket dispute.

Following his departure Ramirez was twice suspended for violating MLB's joint drug policy, which permanently tainted his legacy and likely ensured he'll never be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Yet as much as those decisions cost him, Ramirez says he doesn't have any regrets. Not because he harbors any sense of defiance, but because he believes those mistakes helped him grow and appreciate the most important things in his life.

"I don't rethink that because I know what I did, it worked for good in my life, to appreciate my family and my kids," Ramirez said. "I'd rather give up the Hall of Fame than give up my family and my kids. That's me. My family and kids are going to give me more joy than being in the Hall of Fame.

"Every time I watch my kids and throw BP to my kids, it makes me feel like when I hit that home run against Francisco Rodriguez," he continued. "That's priceless. David did it right, I made some mistakes, but those mistakes have helped me be a better person and to be in the great spot I'm in right now."

Ramirez is now in a much different place. Once a quirky, mercurial hitting savant who helped "Manny being Manny" become part of Boston's cultural lexicon, Ramirez is now a devout Christian whose Instagram account regularly features scripture verses and inspirational messages. He seems at peace with the path he's followed, and even though he says he wishes he'd stayed in Boston longer, he believes everything worked out for the best.

"Everything was so good. I was on top of the game, I was making so much money, but now I understand money doesn't make you happy," Ramirez said. "I'm not glad that that happened, but everything turned out good because I still got my family."

Ramirez remains close with many of his former teammates, Ortiz in particular. He says he visited Ortiz in the hospital following his 2019 shooting and that he plans to attend his Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown next month.

Lately the two have also been able to bond over their sons playing together with the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, along with the sons of Pedro Martinez, Keith Foulke and former Yankees rival Gary Sheffield. Ramirez said he often throws batting practice for the boys and loves having the chance to support them after having missed so much time during his playing career earlier in their lives.

He also continues to follow the current team, and when asked what advice he might give Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers as they approach the biggest contractual crossroads of their career, Ramirez offered a surprising perspective. Once quoted as saying "gas is up and so am I" in response to a query about his impending free agency, Ramirez now says there's more to a big decision like that than money.

"You've got to think how much money do you really need to be happy? Where do you want to be?" Ramirez said. "I'll bet you [Albert] Pujols, when St. Louis offered him less than Anaheim, I bet you if he knew what was going to happen he would have stayed and taken less money in St. Louis than going to Anaheim."

Since retiring from MLB nearly a decade ago Ramirez has remained involved with the game. He bounced around the minors and independent leagues for a few years and briefly served as a minor league coach with the Chicago Cubs, and as recently as 2020 he'd signed on to play and coach in Australia, though that arrangement fell through due to lingering uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.

Signing on as a player-coach halfway across the world definitely seems like a "Manny being Manny" move, but even if his journey sometimes takes him to unexpected places, Boston will always be Ramirez's home. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said it was great catching up with him and he hopes to have him around the park more, adding that the players look up to him and he has a lot to offer.

But even if it would be highly on brand, one thing fans shouldn't expect is to see Ramirez come out of retirement again.

"No chance," Ramirez said. "If I swing the bat I've got to get a trainer."

Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.