Los Angeles Angels pitcher Noe Ramirez was honored Tuesday with a resolution from the Los Angeles City Council for his accomplishments on and off the field.
Ramirez was born in East Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents and raised in the Ramona Gardens public housing development in Boyle Heights along with his two brothers and three sisters. He routinely played baseball as a child at Ramona Gardens Park and Hazard Recreation Center.
Ramirez played at Alhambra High School and Cal State Fullerton and was chosen by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. He made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2015 and was claimed by the Angels on waivers in 2017.
Ramirez was 7-5 in 68 relief appearances and one start with the Angels in 2018, his first major league victories. He recorded his first major league save on Aug. 27, then became the first player in Angels history to start a game the day after being credited with a save.
Ramirez has helped run a baseball clinic for the Ramona Gardens Boys and Girls Club the past two offseasons.
Joining Ramirez at the presentation of the resolution was Lou Calanche, the executive director of Legacy LA, a Boyle Heights-based organization that seeks to make positive interventions in the lives of young people by offering alternatives to gangs and violence.
"Noe Ramirez is a great inspiration for our youth, especially in our Eastside communities," Councilman Jose Huizar said. "His talent, dedication and determination have propelled him to baseball's highest level, and more importantly, he's reaching back and helping others achieve their dreams."
Ramirez credited his family and his parents for helping to keep him on the right track in life.
"Besides baseball keeping me out of trouble and all that, my parents taught me, and my family, love at a really young age and they gave us the foundation to have a successful life," Ramirez said. "Unfortunately that's not the case for a lot of kids growing up in my neighborhood."
