Nats will miss Zimmerman
When it came to the upcoming, shortened MLB season, Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals was in the enviable position where he could take it or leave it.
He had earned US$138 million in his career and was coming off having some key hits in his franchise’s firstever World Series title.
So, he chose to leave it. It’s easy to understand why.
Zimmerman saw the threat of contracting Covid-19 as too great.
He has an ageing mother afflicted with multiple sclerosis and he and his wife are expecting their third child shortly.
Ryan chose not to risk exposing all of them to the coronavirus.
It’s likely, though, that his decision was at least a tad easier after the Nationals’ World Series win.
Now 35, Zimmerman has been the face of the Washington franchise ever since he was drafted No.1 overall out of the University of Virginia.
As the Nationals’ star third baseman and most recently first sacker, he has had to endure one heartbreaking end to an MLB season after another.
Often the winners of the National League East over the last decade, the Nats had never even won a postseason series after that.
Fair or not, Ryan was associated with Washington’s lack of play-off success as the team leader.
So, you can imagine the joy and relief Zimmerman felt after the Nats finally lived up to their lofty billing and first won a one-game wild-card play-off contest before taking three consecutive heart-stopping series enroute to their world title.
“If my career ended today, I’d be overwhelmed,” admitted Zimmerman to Wiggins’ World. “I consider my career to be way more than I thought it would be.”
Of the Nats’ previous lack of postseason success, Zimmerman said: “It’s not that we played bad. We lost, gosh, I don’t know how many game fives. It’s not like we were getting swept out of the play-offs.”
He added: “There’s a certain amount of luck involved. All of the teams there are great teams. You have to have a couple of bounces go your way.”
Like the bounce on a ball hit to Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Trent Grisham in the bottom of the eighth inning of the 2019 wild-card play-off game.
With the Nats trailing and on the verge of yet another early postseason exit, the ball suddenly skittered off to the left just as it arrived at the oncharging Grisham. It bounded past him, allowing the tying and winning runs to score.
Last year was a season of comebacks like that for the Nats. They started off 19-31 before exploding to capture the NL East crown.
And in the division series, Washington were down 2-1 games before rallying to take that best-of-five set.
Then in the World Series, they fell behind 3-2 to the Houston Astros before winning the last two contests to capture the MLB title.
“It was obviously incredible coming from behind so much of the time,” recalled Zimmerman. “I honestly believe that this was the only group of guys that could have done it.
“The veteran presence we had because we had been through everything in this game helped us to stay positive. We kept a good attitude. The talent was there, it was a matter of turning it around.”
Now his teammates — if they are to repeat as World Series champs — must do so without the services of the veteran Zimmerman.
“It’s simply not worth the risk,” Zimmerman said of his decision to opt out of the 2020 campaign. “My mom is super high risk.”
Zimmerman made it clear that he is not retiring. But, at 35, he is on a one-year contract and he is not quite the same player he was earlier in his career.
He may or may not fit into the Nationals’ plans for 2021. But he is ready for whatever the future holds.
“It’s been a fun ride,” Zimmerman said, somewhat fatalistically.
“To be able to do it with one organisaton and one city, I’m a very lucky guy to have had the career I’ve had.”
But he quickly added: “I still feel great. I hope to tack on a few more years.”
Covid-19 permitting, that is.