Ron Washington Opens Up Following First Win as Angels' Manager

Eva Geitheim | Apr 2, 2024

Kyle Schwab-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington picked up his first win as the Angels manager on Sunday. After a tough first two games to the 2024 MLB regular season, the Angels finally came up triumphant in their third game against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Angels dropped both of their first two games poorly, losing by at least eight runs in each game. While the Angels got one of the toughest opening matchups facing the Orioles, who were one of three teams to finish with at least 100 wins in 2023, this was still far from their desired start. After getting outscored 24-7 in those opening games, the Angels held a closed-door meeting before their third game, one of the earliest times for that kind of meeting.

The meeting seemed to pay off, as the Angels notched a 4-1 win at Baltimore on Sunday. In the win, Taylor Ward hit a home run. Nolan Schanuel, Luis Rengifo and Logan O'Hoppe also scored runs. Reid Detmers looked good, allowing just the lone run of the game in five innings.

“I learned what they always were,” Ron Washington said after the game, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “We love to play, man. And today we got on the board early and Detmers did the rest. And Soriano and Estévez came in. We did everything we were supposed to do to get a win.”

The win proved to be contagious, as the Angels followed up this win with a second the following day against the Miami Marlins.

After accumulating 664 wins and a .521 record as a manager for the Texas Rangers over eight seasons from 2007-14, Washington has earned his 665th win a decade later.