Nick Wass / AP Photo

In his 1,799th career game, every single of them with the Washington Nationals, Ryan Zimmerman walked off of the diamond perhaps for the last time as a player.

At the top of the eighth inning, only Zimmerman ran onto the field, heading to his customary position at first base. In a clearly choreographed move, manager Davey Martinez held the rest of the team back to allow the franchise icon a chance to get a send-off that he so richly deserved.

It was an emotional tribute to a longtime player who hasn’t even announced whether or not he’s retiring. At Sunday’s postgame press conference, Zimmerman said he hasn’t made a decision yet.

“I wanted to do it for the fans, the people in the stadium. Obviously I have a special relationship with the fanbase and the community,” Zimmerman said Sunday. “I think if I do retire this offseason, and I didn’t do anything today, I would have regretted it.”

Zimmerman, known as “Mr. National,” was the team’s first ever draft pick and has been wearing the curly “W” for 16 seasons (he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID). His big moments on the diamond are too numerous to count: like, the walk-off homer in the first-ever game at Nationals Park, the Father’s Day win, and his homer in Game One of the 2019 World Series. He’s left a mark on the District itself, too: A baseball diamond in Southwest from the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation bears his name.

With tears in his eyes and emotions clear on his face on Sunday, Zimmerman hugged teammates, tipped his cap, blew kisses to his family in the stands, and tapped his heart.

Even the entire Boston Red Sox team, who were in the midst of a playoff race themselves, came out of their dugout to give the veteran a standing ovation.

“I talked to Heather [Zimmerman, the player’s wife] last night a little bit, and she was like, ‘You need to do something.,'” Zimmerman said of the tribute after the game. “We’re so conditioned to downplay everything and keep everything even-keeled. … Because I’m not sure, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of something.”

Earlier in the game, during Zimmerman’s at-bats, the entire stadium full of nearly 34,000 fans rose each time and gave their hometown hero a standing ovation. The Red Sox pitcher and catcher also stood back to allow for the praise.

In the post game press conference, Zimmerman spoke about showing his emotions during the ovations.

“Ever since I’ve had two daughters I cry all the time anyways,” Zimmerman said. “That’s just part of it now. You just own it.”

It was an emotional scene for everybody Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park, ending a tough season for the team.

Gone are a number of players that led the team to the 2019 World Series win. Howie Kendrick retired before the baseball season began. Sean Doolittle signed with the Cincinnati Reds in February. Max Scherzer and Trea Turner were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July. Yan Gomes and Daniel Hudson were also both moved to teams this summer chasing their own championship dreams.

And now Mr. National himself may have taken his last at-bats for the Nationals. He’s 37 years old and has spoken openly about the grind that being a professional athlete can be. He has also spoke in interviews about spending more time with his family, amid a seven-month baseball schedule of playing and traveling that often does not allow for much else.

(Before deciding to retire, he told the Sports Junkies podcast this summer, “I guess the first thing is to talk to Heather and see if she’s still sane at home with three kids and me being gone, like I am right now, for 10 days,” Zimmerman said. “I think talking about it with your family and see if you’re really ready to ramp it up and do it again.”

It’s not that Zimmerman can’t hit anymore. His statistics this past season are that of, essentially, an average major league hitter. However, he only batted 255 times, about 40% of a typical season, due in large part to the Nationals looking to the future and preserving playing time for younger teammates.

And, despite nearly one hundred losses this season, the future seems potentially bright for the team. Pitcher Josiah Gray and catcher Keibert Ruiz, both acquired from the Dodgers in the Scherzer/Turner trade, have had their fair share of promising moments. One-time star prospect Carter Kieboom looked great in August, before struggling in September. And Stephen Strasburg, one of the last vestiges of the 2019 World Series, is expected to be back pitching next season after a surgery this summer took him out of play.

And then there’s Juan Soto, the 22-year-old superstar who very well could end up winning the Most Valuable Player title this season despite the team’s struggles. Even accounting for a bit of a slow start to the season, Soto is as dominant of a hitter baseball has seen in a very long time. With seven wins above replacement level, Soto was, by at least one measurement, the best player in the National League. He also got a splashy feature in ESPN this spring. Soto is signed with the Nationals until 2025, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team.

After the game, meanwhile, Zimmerman admitted that the season was a tough one and that he may not want to put his body through another grueling year.

“I started the year around 50/50 [in terms of playing next season], and it hasn’t gone up,” he said during the post-game press conference.

But it doesn’t mean that Zimmerman won’t be part of the team. “I’m gonna be a part of the organization one way or the other moving forward,” he said. “So, that made [today] a little bit easier.”

This post has been updated with additional information about Juan Soto’s statistics. 

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