Jason Bay has never met Manny Ramirez, though he played against Ramirez three times in 2005 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he became baseball’s least-known star.
Their planes may have passed each other July 31, the day Bay arrived in Boston as part of the three-team trade that shipped Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For a man with whom he has shared such a limited connection, Ramirez has hovered over Bay the last two months. No matter how often Bay insisted he was not Ramirez, he was the player chosen to patrol left field for the Red Sox after Ramirez’s exit. Bay’s success in Boston hinged on his capacity never to allow Ramirez to define him.
“I don’t really know what I’m trying to replace,” Bay said. “I see him on TV, and I know he’s doing well. But for the most part, it’s just myself.
“The comparisons are going to be there. I understand that. That’s not by my doing, but I understand it. It’s right there. There’s really nothing I can do about it.
“If there was something quantifiable, something I could actually do, maybe I would try to do that. I know I’m not going to hit 50 home runs. I know that. So that makes it easier.”
Bay did hit the decisive homer Wednesday night in Game 1 of the American League Division Series to give the Red Sox a one-game lead over the Angels as well as a three-run shot in the first inning of Game 2.
But even before the first playoff game of his career, Bay could not fully escape Ramirez. As the Red Sox warmed up, the video board towering over center field at Angel Stadium showed the Dodgers playing the Cubs. Ramirez blasted a home run at Wrigley Field.
Bay, steadfast, vowed he was not trying to replace a certain Hall of Famer each time the topic was broached. The temptation to do so was constant. But Bay stuck to his assertion that not once had he felt any strain about following Ramirez.
“Never,” said Red Sox first baseman Sean Casey, who played for the Pirates with Bay in 2006. “He understood who he is. And he’s OK with that.
“He’s not going to be Manny Ramirez. If anyone could handle it, it was Jason Bay.”
Bay grew up in Trail, British Columbia. He played hockey, like almost every Canadian boy, but baseball grabbed him. He played two years at North Idaho Community College and finished his career at Gonzaga. The Montreal Expos selected him in the 22nd round of the 2000 draft.
“They gave me a plane ticket and said, ‘Here you go,'” Bay said.
Three teams traded him before he escaped the minor leagues.
“It probably wasn’t the easiest road here,” Bay said. “I wouldn’t change it for anything, because I think it has a lot to do with the character I have.”
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For Friday’s late result
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