CLEVELAND — Being able to force an opposing scout or pitching coach to throw their hands up in defeat when trying to figure out a way to beat you is a rare trait. And it happens to be one of Jose Ramirez's best attributes.

Shane Bieber and Emmanuel Clase shined on the mound, but it was Ramirez who provided the punch in the Guardians' 2-1 American League Wild Card Game 1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was Ramirez who at times has carried the lineup, seemingly winning stretches of games on his own both this year and in the past. It was Ramirez who signed the market-friendly, team-friendly long-term contract extension that signaled the Guardians would have a window of opportunity with a star talent remaining in Cleveland for the long run.

Game 1 Replay:Cleveland Guardians use homer, dominant pitching to defeat Tampa Bay Rays

It is Ramirez, viewed by many in the Guardians' clubhouse as one of the smartest hitters in baseball, who gives opposing pitchers, scouts and coaches such headaches.

"Yeah I remember the only game I ever got to catch against him was in 2017 and I remember our pitching coach was great at scouting and he said, 'This is the first guy that I've ever seen that I don't know what to throw to him, so just go be random,'" said Austin Hedges, formerly with the San Diego Padres before Cleveland acquired him via trade. "That's pretty impressive."

And it is, now, Ramirez who played a mammoth role in the Guardians going ahead 1-0 in the best-of-three series. Facing Rays starter Shane McClanahan, who was an AL Cy Young contender until he was forced to miss time on the injured list, Ramirez provided the Guardians with their only real counterpunch, belting a change-up just over the right-field wall. It gave the Guardians a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning and led to a curtain call for the star third baseman.

Cleveland Guardians:Shane Bieber, Jose Ramirez carry Guardians to win in first game of Wild Card Series

Teams have tried to gameplan against Ramirez. Not much has worked. In the bottom of the sixth, after Jose Siri gave the Rays a 1-0 lead with a solo home run off Bieber in the top of the sixth, Ramirez emphatically answered.

"He's inevitable," said Shane Bieber, who gave up one run in 7⅔ innings in the win. "To do it right away, that was huge. I know for me personally, any pitcher will tell you that. I thought [Jose] Siri put a couple good swings on the ball today, and that second one looked like that was exactly what he was trying to do, got a pitch and drove it to right-center and hit it well."

McClanahn had gotten Ramirez on a few change-ups throughout the game. He offered one more, and Ramirez was waiting for it on the outside edge of the plate, knowing that is how he would be attacked.

"Yeah, that was my plan, just look for that change-up," Ramirez said via a team translator. "He got me twice with the same pitch. Because it's a really good pitch. It really resembles a fastball. So I was just sitting on that pitch and I was just trying not to do too much, just put it on the opposite side of the field, and I was able to get a good contact on that."

There isn't much about Ramirez that surprises those in the Guardians dugout. Hitting coach Victor Rodriguez recently said Ramirez is one of those guys who people have to stop and watch any time he's in the batter's box. Rookie outfielder Steven Kwan agreed.

MLB playoffs:What you need to know about the Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays AL Wild Card Series

"I feel like we feel that every single time," Kwan said. "He’s so dang good every time, he’s hitting a double, he’s working a count, a for-sure single that turns into a double, he’s always going to do something special, so I don’t think any of us were shocked when that happened."

Ramirez is everything for which the Guardians could have asked after signing him to a $141 million deal that can keep him in Cleveland through 2028. It was below what he could have gotten on the free agent market, but it was Ramirez who 'made it possible' for Cleveland to keep him past next year.

It wasn't just his talent that led to the offering of the largest contract in franchise history — more than double the previous high — it was his intelligence as a hitter that puts him in rarefied air. From a financial standpoint, it Ramirez's smarts as a hitter that made it an easy investment for the Guardians, not just his physical talent.

As Ramirez goes, so go the Guardians. Kwan is a standout rookie who made a massive impact atop the lineup. Andres Gimenez had a breakout season and by some metrics might have been more valuable. Emmanuel Clase emerged as arguably baseball's best closer. But it is Ramirez who remains as the strutting leader of the Guardians.

Guardians 2022 regular season:The top moments, stretches and headbutts

"Yeah I mean there's a lot of guys that made some names for themselves this year, which is awesome, but it's clear as day who the MVP of this team is," Hedges said. "When that guy's hitting three-hole for ya, playing third base every day, on the base paths, in the clubhouse, everything he does, he's our energy, he's our MVP and we ride with him."

Kwan was asked if there's anything Ramirez can't do. He just smiled.

"I mean, probably a couple things," Kwan said. "But on a baseball field, that man is pretty good on there."

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.