WASHINGTON, DC (WTKR)- No Washington National will ever wear number 11 again. It will always belong to Ryan Zimmerman.
The Virginia Beach native will have his number retired by the club on Saturday, June 18 during the club's series with the National League East rival Phillies. It will be part of Ryan Zimmerman Weekend, which will begin the day before. Owner Mark Lerner made the announcement during the broadcast of the Nationals' preseason game and the team followed with a social media announcement.
Zimmerman hit the first walk-off home run of his career on June 18, 2006. This will mark the first number the organization has retired since moving to Washington prior to the 2005 season.
The Kellam and University of Virginia product spent his entire 16-year career with the organization. He announced his retirement from baseball on February 15.
Zimmerman was drafted with the fourth overall pick in 2005, the first pick by the Nationals after moving to the nation's capital from Montreal. He walks away as the Nationals' all-time leader in games played (1,799), runs scored (963), hits (1,846), total bases (3,159), doubles (417), home runs (284) and RBIs (1,061). Zimmerman was an All-Star in 2009 and 2017, won a Gold Glove award in 2009 and was a Silver Slugger in 2009 and 2010. He helped the Nationals to their first World Series championship in 2019, as Washington topped the Astros in seven games.
"Mr. National" holds a career .277 batting average. He hit a walk-off home run on Opening Day in 2008 to beat the Braves, 3-2, in the first ever game at Nationals Park, just one of his many clutch hits over his storied career.
