Nats receive rings: 'Definitely worth the wait'

What’s the best way to show off 23.2 carats of bling?

Just ask Nationals manager Dave Martinez. He’s already got it down.

Donning the Nationals' World Series gold uniform, a beaming Martinez held up his right hand to the camera to show off their 2019 championship rings. He didn’t need a zoom lens to capture the jewels on his finger.

• Notes: Strasburg preps; Castro back; '21 slate

“As you can tell, I’m still smiling about it,” said Martinez.

The Nationals received the rings on Thursday in a non-traditional setting due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of being presented them in a formal ceremony in front of a packed stadium for the home opener in April, the players opened intricately wrapped boxes placed at their lockers on a July morning during Summer Camp workouts.

“Let’s put it this way, it was definitely worth the wait,” Martinez said. “We waited a while to get these things on our fingers. I look at it, and it’s all about all the work that we put into this, the way the players did it. It just means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family. I’m proud to be wearing this thing today.”

Washington's ring design was virtually unveiled on May 24, the one-year anniversary of their turnaround from a 19-31 start. The features were selected to represent specific elements of the championship run, including the Nationals’ “W” logo made of 30 rubies (the number of runs scored over their four World Series wins), the team slogan “Go 1-0 Every Day” engraved in the back of the ring and a shark holding a trophy to represents Gerardo Parra's walk-up song inside of the ring.

“It’s pretty special,” Stephen Strasburg said. “You just look at all the little things that they put on the ring to kind of commemorate some of the big moments of the season, and it kind of just takes you right back to that moment. They did a great job on it, and they really put a lot of time and effort into making it something special. I can’t wait to get it home to show my kids.”

Martinez described seeing Strasburg and Max Scherzer “smiling from ear to ear” upon opening the boxes. Many of the players posted their rings on social media.

Martinez emphasized he would have liked to have been able to share this moment with Nationals fans. It’s just added motivation to repeat in 2020 so the team can do it next season, too.

“For me, it’s definitely sad that we couldn’t have the fans here with us,” Martinez said. “Our fans are our 26th man. They were there through thick and thin with us all year long. But I’ve always said this, we’ll do this again hopefully with them in the stands.”