BALTIMORE -- It was the day after and still it was being talked about.

Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez clubbed his 500th home run on Saturday here at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It was a moment he won’t ever forget. Some of his teammates, coaches and fans were still raving about the milestone before yesterday’s 9-4 victory over the Orioles, but once the matinee game began, it was back to normal.

When he stepped to the plate for his first at-bat in the first inning, most of the 45,031 in attendance gave Ramirez a standing ovation. He finished the day 3-for-5 and recorded his 501st home run.

“I just go out, play the game and have fun,” he said. “People like me because I’m myself. I’m not trying to be somebody I’m not. I play the game hard and I play the game for fun.”

He crushed No. 501 yesterday, almost in the same place he deposited 500 the night before. Ramirez admitted he felt like a huge weight was lifted off his back on Saturday night, yesterday’s homer felt like No. 1.

“Manny is usually pretty relaxed,” said Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills. “As any milestone you reach, you move on to the next thing. I think he said (Saturday) night that his next milestone was 501, and that’s how Manny is. Everybody made a big deal about and now that’s off his shoulders and he can go back to being just Manny.”

Just being Manny has become folklore in the baseball world. His teammates love him. Opponents fear playing against him, but love him, too.

David Ortiz has a unique insight on everything that involves Manny, and he spent a few minutes yesterday morning talking about just how easygoing his good friend is. Ortiz joked that when Ramirez is inducted into the Hall of Fame, he might send Ino Guerrero — a Sox’ staff assistant but really part of Ramirez’s entourage — to make his speech.

jmcdonal@projo.com