Former major league star Manny Ramirez finally has found his way back to the diamond — thousands of miles away.
The Kochi Fighting Dogs in Japan’s independent Shikoku Island League announced the signing of the former Red Sox slugger Monday on their website, and shared a photo of a trimmed-down Ramirez donning a black jersey and orange shorts.
The 44-year-old last played in the majors in 2011 for the Tampa Bay Rays. He collected one hit in 17 plate appearances, then chose to leave MLB instead of serving a 100-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
“Baseball is the love of his life other than his family, and I totally support him 100 percent … ’cause I know how much it means for him,” Ramirez’s wife, Juliana, recently told TMZ.
In 2013, Ramirez played in Taiwan for the EDA Rhinos, hitting .352 with eight homers and 43 RBIs in 49 games — leaving abruptly because, according to the club, he missed his family. Since then, he’s tried multiple MLB comeback attempts with brief minor league stints, most notably with the Chicago Cubs in 2014. Ramirez also spent time on the Cubs coaching staff.
The notoriously flighty outfielder, owner of 555 career home runs, appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year.
