Alexei Ramirez honors Minnie Minoso by wearing No. 9

Apr 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general shot during the national anthem prior to a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez honored the memory of the late White Sox legend Minnie Minoso in their home opener on Friday at U.S. Cellular Field.

Minoso passed away on March 1 at the age of 90 years old. The No. 9 of Minoso is retired by the White Sox, as his number and image is on the outfield wall at U.S. Cellular Field. Ramirez normally wears No. 10.

In his 1,373 games with the White Sox, Minoso batted .304 (5,011 at-bats), finishing with 1,523 hits (260 doubles, 79 triples, 135 home runs) and 808 RBIs.

This is such a wonderful tribute for Ramirez and the White Sox to have for one of the greatest White Sox players to ever wear the jersey for the South Siders.

Though Minoso isn’t enshrined in Cooperstown, his career speaks for itself (I believe those are Hall of Fame numbers), and it is one that any baseball player would have been proud to have. Plus for fans of my generation, it is neat to see the No. 9 on the diamond for the White Sox, even if just for one game.

Minoso played in 1,835 games with the White Sox, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Senators. In 1949, he was second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, and he was a seven-time All-Star as well.

Apr 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of a monument dedicated to White Sox legend Minnie Minoso outside U.S Cellular Field prior to a game against the Minnesota Twins . Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

A fun note … Ramirez was also second in 1998 in the American Rookie of the Year voting.

Minoso played multiple infield and outfield positions during his career, and besides being known as the Cuban Comet, he finished with 205 career stolen bases (he led the majors three times) and won three Gold Glove awards.

In 1960, Minoso led the majors with 184 hits.

As for Ramirez, he’s also from Cuba, so seeing him represent Minoso with such great pride was a great thing to see. Ramirez, who followed in the footsteps of his countryman by becoming an All-Star last season, was the perfect player to do so.