So it was a pleasant surprise Saturday afternoon when the skies remained clear and the sun warm, creating the perfect setting for an imperfect championship celebration that changed the history of baseball in this city.
It was incomplete because it was painful in a way.
The Nationals planned the celebration to coincide with the visit of the Houston Astros, who won the 2019 World Series. The Astros have fared much better than the Nationals since losing that series, playing two more games and winning in 2022. Several of 2019's major stars remain in Houston uniforms. Their presence at Nationals Park on Saturday was a reminder of how good the Nationals have to be to beat them. But it also served as a reminder that the Nationals' decline was not a natural byproduct of their success.
The celebration was incomplete and incomplete.
Had we been able to fully celebrate the title in 2020, most of the key members of the 2019 team would still be able to compete in a Nationals uniform. But most of that team's stars were playing elsewhere on Saturday. Those who could return include retired players such as Adam Eaton, Brian Dozier, Anibal Sanchez, Kurt Suzuki, Howie Kendrick and Javy Guerra, or the Nationals' current focus on the next generation. They were current team employees Ryan Zimmerman, Sean Doolittle and Gerardo Parra. .
“Everyone thinks [missed out], even in the city. You win the World Series and all of a sudden everything shuts down,” Dozier said. “It affected everything around the stadium, season tickets and everything else.”
Stephen Strasburg also did not attend. He only recently agreed to the terms of his retirement after a long dispute with the team. The Nationals invited him to Saturday's celebration, team officials said. The World Series MVP reportedly chose not to attend.
“I think this guy should be celebrated in this region and thought of as an icon and a legend. I think he is. I think most people still think that about him. He should be.” Zimmerman said. “Now that this is all resolved, I hope we can celebrate him properly one day. That's above my pay grade, though.”
And like Strasburg, whose legend was forever changed by that World Series berth, the members of the 2019 Nationals in attendance Saturday served as a reminder of why that title is worth celebrating now and always. It was given to me. To varying degrees, it changed their lives forever.
For example, Dozier, who was a key player in the shirtless dance at the 2019 Nationals, gave birth to three children in the five years since winning. This reunion gave them a chance to see a part of their father's life that they never had the chance to experience. And the World Series, he said, gave him the freedom to experience parts of their lives that he might not have otherwise been able to experience.
He recalled signing with the New York Mets for the shortened 2020 season, with his family unable to be together due to the coronavirus. When he returned home, Mr. Dozier's daughter asked him never to leave the house again. As a result, he decided to retire despite being offered to play for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. He accomplished what he wanted to do.
“We were able to experience the 2019 season,” he said. “That's why I hung up early.”
Zimmerman had done just about everything he could for the Nationals by the time they reached the World Series. But now he's doing so as a World Series champion, walking around the clubhouse and interacting with front office members in his new role as an advisor. Few players spend their entire career with one team. Even fewer people grow up in organizations with no past to draw from, and are able to contribute to building a history on which future generations will depend.
“That's what the organization hopes to be able to do, bring back a lot of guys who have accomplished a lot in this game and have been playing for a long time,” Zimmerman said. “I hope I can be successful and have a good team and be able to do things like this. I want to celebrate and make history and want people to stay here and play and be a part of this organization. I hope this is the first time we have been able to do something like this.”
Five years ago Saturday, the Nationals were still in an early-season slump, famously going 19-31. And of everyone in the clubhouse, no one's fortunes changed more over the next few months than Dave Martinez. On Saturday, Martinez recalled that players came to his office earlier in the season and he hoped he wouldn't be fired. A few months later, he became World Series Champion. How did that title change his life?
“Well, I’m still here,” he laughed.
“What we do is for the moment,” he added. “…this game has been an incredible adventure and I can't wait to see what happens next.”