page_title: Edwar Ramírez
section_title: New York Yankees: 2007–2009
hierarchical_section_title: Edwar Ramírez / Career / New York Yankees: 2007–2009
caption_attribution_description: English: Edwar Ramírez warming up in the bullpen for the Oakland Athletics
context_page_description: Edwar Emilio Ramírez is a former Dominican professional baseball pitcher. Ramírez appeared in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics. After finding himself out of baseball in 2004, Ramírez revitalized his career by developing an effective changeup.
  Originally a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization, Ramírez pitched for the Angels only in minor league baseball. The Angels released Ramírez before the 2004 season. After spending the next year mastering a changeup, he spent parts of the following two seasons in independent league baseball. Ramírez signed with the Yankees in 2006, and made his MLB debut the next season. Ramírez enjoyed success and popularity among the fan base during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He struggled in 2009, and pitched for the Athletics early in the 2010 season before returning to minor league baseball in the Athletics organization. He pitched in the Mexican League in 2011.
context_section_description: Searching for a pitcher recently released by an MLB organization to fill a relief pitching role in Class A, Yankees professional scouting director Billy Eppler purchased Ramírez from Edinburg for an unreported amount of cash, estimated to be between $1,500 to $3,000. It was the first time a United League player was purchased by an MLB organization. Ramírez signed with the Yankees on July 9, 2006. Later that July, the Yankees purchased Carlos Mendoza from the Pelicans. Ramírez pitched for their Class A-Advanced affiliate, the Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League, for the remainder of the 2006 season. He pitched ​32 ²⁄₃ innings, compiled a win–loss record of 4–1, an earned run average (ERA) of 1.17, and 47 strikeouts.
  He began the 2007 season with the Yankees' Class AA affiliate, the Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League.  In nine relief appearances, he had a record of 3–0 and one save, allowing only one run in ​16 ²⁄₃ innings, for an ERA of 0.54. He compiled 33 strikeouts and eight walks.  He was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees of the Class AAA International League, where he pitched ​26 ²⁄₃ innings of relief in 15 games, allowing only two runs over that span, an 0.67 ERA. He recorded 47 strikeouts and walked nine batters in that time.
  Ramírez was called up to the Yankees, his first promotion to MLB, on July 1, 2007.  In his MLB debut, on July 3, 2007 against the Minnesota Twins, Ramírez pitched the ninth inning for the Yankees and struck out all three batters he faced, including reigning American League Most Valuable Player Justin Morneau, in an 8–0 win for the Yankees.  The last Yankee to strike out the side in his MLB debut was Stan Bahnsen during the 1966 season. The only other rookies to strike out the side in their debut inning are Tyler Robertson, Jordan De Jong, Todd Wellemeyer, Jeremy Fikac, Braden Looper, Angelo LiPetri, and Paul Giel.
  Ramírez remained with the club for nearly three weeks. However, Yankees' manager Joe Torre used Ramírez sparingly, despite the belief in the Yankees' front office that Ramírez could be an effective strikeout reliever. At the time of his debut, the Yankees bullpen ranked 25th in MLB in strikeouts. Torre had a reputation as preferring veteran relief pitchers, but the organization needed to wait until the trading deadline to obtain a veteran pitcher from another club.  Ramírez was a member of the Yankees for a July series against the Angels at Angel Stadium, finally stepping foot onto the field as an active Yankees player. On July 6, against the Angels, he gave up one run on two hits in ​1 ¹⁄₃ innings; as the pitcher of record, he was awarded his first career win in the 14–9 Yankees victory. Molina, now serving as the Yankees' backup catcher, admitted that he didn't remember Ramírez from their shared years in the Angels' organization.
  In the final relief appearance of Ramírez's first stint with the major league club, he faced the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on July 20. Without an appearance since July 6 in Anaheim, he was pitching on two weeks of rest. Without control of his pitches, Ramírez walked four batters and allowed a grand slam to Dioner Navarro without recording an out. Only two of his 19 pitches were called strikes.  After the game, Ramírez, shaken by his performance, cut short his comments to reporters, and was seen crying at his locker. The Yankees optioned Ramírez back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre the following day. In his first appearance with Scranton/Wilkes Barre following his demotion, Ramírez continued pitching effectively, striking out two in ​1 ¹⁄₃ hitless innings, helping Joba Chamberlain hold onto his first career Class AAA victory.
  Between Class AA Trenton and Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Ramírez pitched ​56 ²⁄₃ innings, in which he allowed 26 hits and 22 walks while striking out 102. He held opponents to a .135 batting average and allowed only five earned runs, good for a 0.79 ERA. For his performance, Ramírez was named the Minor League Baseball Reliever of the Year for the 2007 season.
  After the conclusion of the minor league season, Ramírez was re
caption: Ramírez warming up in the bullpen for the Athletics
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