The Washington Nationals have decided to alter plans of their virtual ring ceremony Sunday night. After feedback from players, the franchise will not hand out World Series rings during the presentation. Instead the ceremony will serve as the unveiling of the rings’ design.
The ceremony was initially set to hand out rings to select members of the 2019 World Series-winning team. The players ultimately decided to wait to give out the rings when they’re “physically reunited.”
The Nationals released a statement involving the change of plans.
“When team leaders discussed the plan this week with the players, the players collectively decided they would prefer to receive their rings when the team could be physically reunited. We support that decision.”
A statement from the Washington Nationals
The choice of date for the virtual ring ceremony is to mark the one-year anniversary of when the team faltered to a 19-31 record during the 2019 season. Many pundits counted Washington out of the mix. Some called for manager Dave Martinez to be fired after what was seemingly another disappointing season as the skipper.
Instead, the Nationals finished the season winning 74 of their final 112 games. They earned a National League wild card, and went on an improbable run to winning the World Series in seven games over the Houston Astros.
The ceremony will air Sunday night on the Nationals’ team YouTube channel. They will debut a documentary about the team’s run their first-ever World Series title in addition to the unveiling of the ring design. Players, Ryan Zimmerman, NLCS MVP Howie Kendrick and Max Scherzer are also set to appear.
