Plight serves to motivate team

SAN DIEGO • Nationals manager Dusty Baker was in shock when Mike Rizzo, the club’s general manager, walked into his office at Petco Park on Thursday evening and delivered the news: He was about to conduct a team meeting in the visitors’ clubhouse to announce that Mark Lerner, one of the club’s principal owners and a constant presence at Nationals Park, had his left leg amputated below the knee last week following complications with treatment for cancer.

“I remember I saw Mark about a month ago,” Baker said after the Nationals’ 2-1 win over the Padres. “He just said he was going to be all right and we didn’t have an idea what he was going through because we just thought he had that infection in his knee. I got a couple friends who have the same thing. But Mark has a great attitude about life and we wish him well, and the family well. And we certainly would like to win this for him.”

Ryan Zimmerman, the only Nationals player who predates the Lerner family’s purchase of the franchise, said he had been in contact with the family in recent months. He knew something had gone amiss in Lerner’s recovery.

“Any time you hear that about anyone, it’s tough, especially someone like Mark,” Zimmerman, who hit the goahead homer Thursday, said. “He’s around all the time. He’s not only an owner but a huge fan of D.C. and baseball. I know it’s probably killing him more than anyone to not be able to be around. But I think the news is good news, for the most part. It’s obviously going to be tough for him, but we’ll be here to support him and help him with anything he needs. But I think the important thing is, it’s relatively good news, which is all we really worried about. We’ll look forward to seeing him out here at some point.”