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On Oct. 15, 1925, the Washington Senators lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 7 of the World Series. That same day, Theodore N. Lerner was born. Nearly one century later, he would be at the forefront of bringing the first baseball championship back to his hometown of Washington, D.C.  

Lerner passed away on Sunday at the age of 97 due to complications from pneumonia.  

“They say good things come to those who wait,” Lerner said at the Nationals’ 2019 World Series championship parade. “Ninety-five years is a pretty long wait. But I’ll tell you, this is worth the wait.” 

Lerner waited more than three decades for baseball to return to D.C. During that time, Lerner -- who worked as an usher at Griffith Stadium in his youth -- became a self-made real-estate magnate. After the Montreal Expos relocated, Lerner headed the ownership group that was approved by Major League Baseball to purchase the Nationals on May 3, 2006. The $450 million sale was finalized on July 24, 2006.

"It has long been my dream to bring the national pastime back to my hometown, the nation's capital," Lerner, then the managing principal owner, said after ownership of the Nationals was transferred from MLB. “Now that it's been realized, I plan on doing everything I can to make sure that this franchise becomes an international jewel for MLB, D.C. and the nation."  

Two years later, the Nats opened Nationals Park on Opening Day in 2008. In '12, they earned the most regular-season wins in team history to capture the National League East for the first time. Additional division titles followed in '14, ‘16 and ‘17. Even once Lerner transferred day-to-day operations to his son, Mark, in ‘18 and became founding principal owner, he stayed involved.  

After the Nationals completed their first World Series run the following season -- which included sweeping the NL Championship Series on Lerner’s birthday -- he thrilled the crowd and players alike at the championship parade by noting, “From now on, you can call me ‘Grandpa Shark.’”  

Beyond baseball, Lerner also made an impact with extensive philanthropic efforts, including the support of local and international organizations through The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation and serving as a founding member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He received multiple awards and Hall of Fame inductions for his community outreach.  

“He created the framework that brought the 2019 World Series to the nation’s capital, and the championship ballclub he helped create stands as a reminder of the love he had for this great game and the passion he had for giving back to his hometown,” the Nationals said in a team statement Monday.