Former Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is leaving fans with a parting gift. The longtime executive said this weekend that he would buy beers for fans in the District ahead of Monday’s Home Run Derby.
Nationals supporters can claim the free round at the Penn Quarter Sports Tavern or Walter’s Sports Bar in the District before watching outfielder James Wood take on the Home Run Derby in Atlanta.
Rizzo was fired July 6 with manager Dave Martinez as the Nationals weathered their sixth straight losing season since winning the World Series in 2019.
“It’s been an incredible ride,” Rizzo wrote on Instagram. “The wins, the losses, the championships, the celebrations and everything in-between, it has been an honor to be the President and General Manager of your Washington Nationals.”
The longtime executive joined Washington’s front office in 2008, shortly after the Lerner family purchased the franchise from MLB.
He helped right the ship for a team that was a cellar dweller during their first years in the District, turning it into a perennial postseason contender. Success became elusive after the World Series victory, though, as the franchise found itself mired in an ever-expanding rebuild.
National managing partner Mark Lerner’s patience ran out this month as he fired Rizzo and Martinez just weeks before the MLB draft and trade deadline.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every fan who has supported my goal to lead this franchise to greatness with integrity, honesty and professionalism,” Rizzo wrote. “D.C. has become our home in every sense of the word and I could not imagine a better place to have done it all together than the nation’s capital.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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