Washington Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman stayed in the fight

Ryan Zimmerman was the first player ever drafted by the Washington Nationals. Fourteen years later, “Zim” is finally headed to the World Series.

On June 7, 2005, the Washington Nationals drafted a University of Virginia shortstop named Ryan Zimmerman. On October 15, 2019, the beloved “Zim” celebrated with astonishment as a D.C. franchise he’s helped lead since the beginning reached its first World Series.

Nobody deserves to be on the field for the first Fall Classic in the nation’s capital since 1933 than Zimmerman, who has been the catalyst of almost every signature Nats moment. He also endured hundreds of losses over his first five seasons and an arm injury that forced him to change positions.

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After being called up near the end of the franchise’s inaugural season in D.C., Zimmerman finished second in the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year voting to Hanley Ramirez. As a third baseman, Zimmerman’s defense was elite. He also managed to drive in 110 runs on a disappointing Nationals team that would lose 91 games during Zimmerman’s first full season.

What quickly endeared “Zim” to the hearts of Nationals fans, however, was his penchant for big hits. Zimmerman’s most memorable early Nats moment was his June 18, 2006, walkoff home run to beat Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees.

On March 30, 2008, Zimmerman officially became “Mr. Walkoff” in Washington when he hit another dramatic game-winning homer to defeat the Atlanta Braves to open the brand new Nationals Park. That year’s Nats team went on to lose 101 games, but Zimmerman’s heroics weren’t forgotten.

In fact, the Nationals lost a staggering 478 games during Zim’s first five full seasons. Yet as he said after Tuesday’s pennant-clinching victory, Zimmerman displayed the same effort during the early years as he would in the 2019 postseason.

It wasn’t easy, though. Zimmerman began experiencing throwing problems in 2011 before ultimately having surgery to repair major shoulder damage following the 2012 season. After continuing to struggle with throwing issues and even making a temporary move to left field during the 2014 postseason, Zim permanently transitioned to first base the following year.

Zimmerman had arguably his most productive offensive season in 2017, when he started in the All-Star Game for the first time and hit another unforgettable home run, this time in Game 2 of the NLDS. He mostly struggled in 2018 before playing a career-lowest 52 games this season. Some wondered whether the plantar fasciitis that had hampered Zimmerman for several years would ultimately end his career.

The longest tenured player in Washington Nationals history had other plans. Seemingly out of nowhere, Zimmerman became a key offensive contributor during the latter stages of his team’s unlikely World Series run. Zimmerman’s three-run homer in Game 4 of the NLDS has already been added to his unparalleled D.C. collection of clutch hits.

Having watched Ryan Zimmerman’s career from the start, I wondered what was going through his mind when the team he’s led by example for 14 long years finally advanced to the Fall Classic. Not surprisingly, he was humble and grateful.

“A lot of people play for as long as I do and don’t get a chance to do this,” Zimmerman said after the game, as quoted by The Washington Post. “So I consider myself pretty lucky to still be able to do this. It definitely makes it a little sweeter.”

Enjoy the ride, Zim. You’ve earned it.