Cleveland Guardians third baseman and franchise icon Jose Ramirez was a key figure for the club amid what became a four-game postseason winning streak. 

However, Ramirez's pair of brutal mistakes in the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League Championship Series led to the Tampa Bay Rays scoring three runs, which was all Tampa Bay needed to earn a 3-1 win that tied the series 1-1. Following Cleveland's loss, Ramirez admitted while speaking through team interpreter Agustin Rivero that he endured a "frustrating" frame.

Jose Ramirez knows his mistakes opened the door for the Rays

"Nobody's perfect, but I still feel bad because obviously I wasn't able to do it, and after that, the runs came in. I feel bad about it," Ramirez said, per Tim Stebbins of the MLB website.

Ramirez's nightmare fourth began when Tampa Bay's Chandler Simpson reached first on an infield single with two outs. Ramirez was caught ball-watching and failed to cover third base on the play, which allowed Victor Mesa Jr. to advance to third. 

One batter later, Rays second baseman Ben Williamson hit a grounder right at Ramirez that should have ended the inning. However, the ball skipped between Ramirez's legs as Mesa made his way home for the game's opening run. The next pitch, catcher Liam Hicks delivered a two-run single into right field.

"It’s a little bit faster here on this type of surface," Ramirez said about the Tropicana Field turf. "I was playing parallel to the base, and the ball bounced right on the edge between the dirt and the turf. That's what made it more difficult for me. I tried to knock it down."

Stephen Vogt, Guardians not panicking after dropping Game 2

Of course, other Guardians players had plenty of time to pick Ramirez up after his miscues. While Cleveland put a run on the scoreboard in the seventh, the Guardians then went quietly into the night over the final two innings of play. 

"They've done that all year," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said about the Rays taking advantage of Ramirez's mistakes, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "When they smell blood, they take it and run. We had some sloppy plays in the field that we need to clean up."

Ramirez and the rest of the Guardians will now enjoy an off day before the ALCS resumes in downtown Cleveland on Thursday evening (6:00 p.m. ET). Due to their 7-3 win on Monday, the Guardians have an opportunity to prevent the series from going back to Tampa Bay. 

"Going home 1-1, to go have three games in front of our fans in Cleveland, we feel really good about that," Vogt added.