Washington sending Braves home in World Series after near miss a decade ago

HOUSTON (AP) — Twice in the same game 10 years ago, Ron Washington was within one strike of winning the World Series as a manager. The beloved baseball lifer is now finally getting another shot at a championship.

A decade after that Game 6 loss while guiding the Texas Rangers, Washington is emphatically waving Atlanta Braves runners around third base. There are also the daily fielding drills he does, even before World Series games in late October, with All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies, Gold Glove first baseman Freddie Freeman and all their infielders.

"I'd just like to win it, and I think if I've got that chance to do it, it's going to be this group," Washington said. "This is my expertise. If I can't manage, this is the second-best thing that I can do in the game of baseball."

Still, Washington can't help but remember how agonizingly close Texas was before losing in 11 innings at St. Louis exactly 10 years ago Wednesday night before also dropping Game 7.

This series is even at a game each after Houston won 7-2 on Wednesday night. The next three games are in Atlanta, starting with Game 3 on Friday night.

Washington's passion for the game is still unwavering at age 69 after five decades in professional baseball as a player, coach and manager. In 2010 and 2011, he led the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances — their only two American League pennants.

Now in his fifth season on manager Brian Snitker's staff in Atlanta, the third base coach has certainly played a huge part in the Braves returning to the World Series for the first time since 1999.

"He's the most engaging, charismatic, best-connecting coach I've seen," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "Obviously, he's got great content. I don't want to take away from that. But, man, that guy is just like, anybody who gets to spend time with him, he'll get you to run through a wall in two seconds."

There are aggressive and confident sends in crucial situations, such as consecutive plays with Braves down two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series. Two close plays at the plate, the first Eddie Rosario with a nifty slide after a late jump, but two runs to tie the game before beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth.

Even with Atlanta already up 5-1 in Game 1 of the World Series, Washington sent Dansby Swanson home on a shallow flyball in the eighth inning. Another run on another close play.

Earlier in that opener, Albies made an impressive backhanded snag of a short hop — a play virtually identical to what Washington had worked on with him during the Braves' workout day before the World Series.