Fit for a ring: Beloved 'Wash' a champ at last
Nick Aguilera
@ByNickAguileraAfter more than 40 years as both a player and a coach, Ron Washington is finally a World Series champion after the Braves' 7-0 win over the Astros in Tuesday's Game 6 at Minute Maid Park.
Washington, who serves as the third-base coach for the Braves, made his MLB debut back in 1977 for the Dodgers and has been a coach for the past 25 years, with a stint as the manager of the Rangers from 2007-14 being the most notable stop in his coaching career.
Washington had two opportunities to get his first ring with the Rangers in 2010 and '11, coming one win short in the latter after the St. Louis Cardinals took Games 6 and 7 in the Fall Classic. But as the old saying goes: Better late than never.
Washington¡¯s career as a Major League coach goes back to 1996, when he joined the A¡¯s as their first-base coach before leaving for Arlington. He also returned to Oakland in 2015 before joining Atlanta in 2017. It's worth noting that the A¡¯s are one of two teams with a managerial opening.
Aside from his work as a base coach and manager, Washington has also been a highly regarded infield coach throughout his career. His preparation showed in Game 6, when the Braves infield made a myriad of impressive plays throughout the night, including double plays in back-to-back innings.
¡°This game is all about love. This game is all about commitment. This game is all about attitude and when we finally took the lead, the attitude, the commitment and the effort for it came into play,¡± Washington told WSB Atlanta¡¯s Zach Klein.