Prior to being included along with Max Scherzer to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline last season, Trea Turner had spent the entirety of his Major League career with the Washington Nationals.
That overlapped with Ryan Zimmerman, who was the first ever draft pick by the Nationals franchise when he was taken fourth overall in 2005. Zimmerman made his MLB debut that year and went on to spend 16 seasons (17 total years) with the Nationals before retiring.
He retires as the Nationals’ career leader in games played (1,799), runs scored (963), hits (1,846), total bases (3,159), doubles (417), home runs (284) and RBI (1,061).
Zimmerman announcing his retirement was met with several congratulatory messages, including one from Turner.
Trea Turner congratulated Ryan Zimmerman on his retirement.https://t.co/QJHPp4xrti pic.twitter.com/ng0kc6trHa
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) February 16, 2022
Zimmerman was a two-time All-Star during his career and helped the Nationals their first World Series in 2019. Their improbable postseason run began as the Wild Card team and came at the expense of the Dodgers, who were upset in the National League Division Series.
Zimmerman had hits in 10 of the Nationals’ 16 postseason games that year and slugged the first World Series home run in Nationals postseason history.
“On behalf of my family and the entire Washington Nationals organization, we would like to congratulate Ryan on a tremendous career and thank him for his contributions both on the field and in our community,” Nationals owner Mark Lerner said in a statement.
“Ryan will forever be Mr. National. From the walk-off home runs, to carrying the World Series Trophy down Constitution Avenue, to the final day of the 2021 regular season when our fans gave him an ovation that none of us will soon forget, Ryan gave us all 17 years of amazing memories. We wish him, Heather, their four beautiful children and the rest of their family nothing but the best in all of their future endeavors.”
Turner: Dodgers have to ‘follow suit’
One year after getting eliminated by the Nationals, the Dodgers returned to win the 2020 World Series. The L.A. Lakers also won the title that year, and the L.A. Rams made it a third championship for the city in the past 16 months by winning Super Bowl LVI.
Turner congratulated the Rams after they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, and said the Dodgers now had to follow in their footsteps this year.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
