Former Texas Rangers Manager Reveals Truth of Infamous 'Moneyball' Scene
Former Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington is back in the driver's seat as the new manager of the Los Angeles Angels. But before he took center stage in Arlington, he was a movie star.
Well, not him, but a version of him.
Washington was an essential part of the 2002 Oakland Athletics team that made history by winning 20 consecutive games en route to an American League West division title, which later became the hit movie "Moneyball." In an early scene, Washington is seen with general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) trying to convince Scott Hatteberg to transform from a catcher into a first baseman.
The scene has become a staple of the story that helped Oakland transform into one of baseball's greatest stories. But it's not entirely true, per Washington.
At least the location of where the event occurred.
"That really happened, but it didn't happen as Scott Hatteberg's home," Washington said in an interview with The Athletic's Jayson Stark. "It happened in Phoenix [at] Municipal Stadium in Ken Macha's office when Billy said that."
Hatteberg was coming off surgery after rupturing a nerve in his right elbow, thus changing the trajectory of his throwing motion behind the plate. During his time with the Boston Red Sox, he shared duties with All-Star Jason Varitek.
With Washington's guidance, Hatteberg would go on to be an essential part of the 20-game win streak, hitting the game-winning home run against the Kansas City Royals after blowing an insurmountable 11–0 lead.
Washington, however, made it clear the transition from behind the backstop to the hot corner would come with challenges. In real life, the first-year Angels manager said how the actors reacted to the line was his favorite part of the film.
"That was the best part of the movie when how quickly [Pitt] recovered when I said 'No, Hatty, it's going to be incredibly hard,'' Washington said. "Anything worth doing is incredibly hard. But that happened."
Washington, 71, spent eight seasons in Texas, leading the Rangers to five consecutive winning seasons and two World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011. Under his watch, Texas finished 644-611 all-time and 18-16 in the postseason.
Washington recently spent the last seven seasons as a member of the Atlanta Braves coaching staff. He helped the Braves win their first World Series since 1995 as the team's third base coach.
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