Former Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington: 'Great Baseball Guy'

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and longtime fan favorite Ron Washington have crossed paths plenty over the years.

ARLINGTON, Texas — With the Atlanta Braves in town for three games, Texas Rangers fans get to see an old friend — Ron Washington.

Washington, third-base coach for Atlanta, was the manager of the Rangers from 2007-14 and led the club to the most successful run in franchise history.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy knows him well. They squared off in the 2010 World Series, won by Bochy’s San Francisco Giants. The pair were journeymen players in the 1980s. And when Washington went back to coaching with the Oakland Athletics after his Rangers resignation, the pair saw each other from time to time in Spring Training and regular-season games.

The respect for Washington runs deep with Bochy.

“You know, when you get to the postseason (2010) you really don’t see anyone as much as you would in the regular season,” Bochy said. “Not even your own team, because you’re busy with other stuff. I’ve known Ron for a while and he’s such a fun, personable guy.

“When I was manager in San Francisco, he’d come over and we’d talk for a few minutes. You know he’s always got a smile on his face. He’s just a great baseball guy.”

Washington resigned as manager of the Rangers in 2014.

When the Rangers hired Washington on Nov. 6, 2006, it was his first managerial job, replacing Buck Showalter. Washington inherited a team that had been just under .500 for the past two seasons, but was trying to re-make itself in the post-Alex Rodriguez era.

By 2010, the Rangers were not only back to winning the American League West, but they made their first trip to the World Series, and in 2011 the Rangers returned. The Rangers lost their second Fall Classic appearance in a heartbreaking seven-game series to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Rangers reached the postseason one more time, in 2012, losing in the Wild Card game. In 2013, the Rangers won 91 games but failed to make the playoffs.

Washington remains the winningest manager in Rangers history, going 664–611.

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