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If that was Ryan Zimmerman’s final game, Nationals fans gave him the sendoff he deserved

By Ian Oland

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October 4, 2021 12:34 pm

Sometimes, you don’t know when it’s over. There isn’t a months-long retirement tour or a glitzy sendoff. Sometimes it happens quietly and subtly behind the scenes after much thought and consideration with your family.

For longtime Washington Nationals player Ryan Zimmerman, he enters the offseason unsure what’s next. Sunday could have been the final game of his Major League Baseball career.

“They don’t know, and neither do I, when the last at-bat or last game could be,” Zimmerman said heading into the final homestand of the season in an interview with Dan Kolko. “That’s not me (on taking a victory lap). Even if I did know, which I don’t, I have nothing against people doing it, I don’t feel like I need to be celebrated. Playing baseball and being able to do what I’ve done out here for the last 16 years, that’s good enough for me.”

It feels harsh to say, but Zimmerman, 37, is the epitome of a very good but not great player. During his 1,799 games in the MLB, Zimmerman hit .277 with 284 home runs and 1,061 RBIs. He won a gold glove once for his fielding (2009) and was a two-time Silver Slugger Award (2009, 2010) as the best offensive player at his position. Cooperstown may never come calling.

But Zimmerman’s greatness lies in his steadiness from his first game at RFK in 2005 to his walk-off dingers at Nationals Park – the fancy new home of the team. Zim delivered clutch hits and huge home runs during the Nats’ 2019 World Series run – the city’s first world championship in baseball (in its new reincarnation of the team). Zimmerman was the reliable, steadying presence that made the Nationals what it is now: a respectable and beloved franchise. Despite all the turnover and change over the last two decades, he remained the one constant. He is Mr. National.

All of this sentimentalism was in the air as Zimmerman played his final game of the season on Sunday. As he ambled up the plate for his first at-bat during the bottom of the second inning, Nationals fans rose out of their seats for a powerful standing ovation that left Zim in tears.

It was one of the greatest moments in DC Sports history.

As the fans clapped, the slugger dug his cleats into the dirt and took several extra practice swings as he awaited them to calm down. They didn’t. The ovation wouldn’t stop. Red Sox catcher Christian Vázquez classily left his spot behind the batters’ box and walked out to the mound. Zimmerman tipped his helmet to the fans. They just got louder. It got so overwhelming that Zim couldn’t hold back his emotion anymore. Tears streamed down his face; his sunglasses couldn’t hide his appreciation. He dabbed his wet cheek with his shoulder.

In the third inning, Zimmerman came up again — there were more cheers — and this time he delivered like he has so many times before. With the bases loaded, Zimmerman walked on four pitches, earning career RBI No. 1,061. The walk gave the Nationals a 2-0 lead.

The rebuilding Nationals, who dealt most of their remaining stars at the trade deadline for prospects, would begin to collapse late in the game against the Red Sox, falling behind 7-5.

At the top of the eighth inning, Nationals manager Davey Martinez made two defensive moves, pulling Zimmerman for Andrew Stevenson. Josh Bell, who was playing in left field, was switched to first base.

As Zimmerman left the field, he began crying again as fans and players from both dugouts applauded him.

Zimmerman hugged his teammates one by one before coming back out to tip his cap and nod to the crowd. Zimmerman found his wife, Heather, along with his three kids in the crowd, and waved. As the roar began to subside, Martinez limped out to greet Zimmerman and gave him a long hug. Davey didn’t play favorites, but Zimmerman was, self-admittedly, his favorite Nats player. For anyone who has watched or cheered on the Nats over the years, the moment was moving. For some, it made them ugly cry.

The Nats would go on to lose, but one could argue the game was a win because the proper appreciation was shown to its franchise-best player.

“If this was the last day, it was a hell of a day,” an appreciative Zimmerman said after the game according to MASN Sports’ Mark Zuckerman.

“Ever since I’ve had two daughters I cry all the time, anyway,” he joked per the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty.

Zimmerman admitted that he likes to downplay everything and keep things even keel. But the night before, Heather implored Zim “to do something” to savor the moment for once. “That’s what it came down to. I went in and talked to Davey when I got here today and he said let him do his job because he had already planned to do something.”

“I started the year around 50-50 and it hasn’t gone up,” Zimmerman said on coming back next year. “That’s the only thing I can say.”

After the game, Zimmerman’s family came out onto the field, taking pictures and running the bases. Someday they might return and there may be a statue of Ryan outside the ballpark.

“I’m gonna be a part of the organization one way or the other moving forward,” he said.

Headline photo: Jennie Ryon

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