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SPORTS Wednesday 4 december 2019

Nats 1B Zimmerman

plans to be back with

champs _ or retired

By HOWARD FENDRICH "Both sides want some-
AP Sports Writer thing to happen. So it's just
WASHINGTON (AP) — a matter of getting some-
Washington Nationals first thing done," he said. "We'll
baseman Ryan Zimmer- see what happens, but I'm
man figures he'll either find not too worried about it."
himself back with the World Zimmerman, who has
Series champions next sea- earned more than $125
son — or out of baseball. million in his big league ca-
"I think I've made my inten- reer, joked that his friends
tions pretty clear," Zimmer- "tell me I should go claim
man said Monday night, unemployment."
when he attended the pre- He dealt with injuries in
miere of a documentary 2019 and appeared in only
about last season's title. "It's 52 regular season games,
either play some more here batting .257 with six homers Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman poses with the World Series trophy
or play more golf." and 27 RBIs. But he moved as he arrives for the premiere of a documentary film on the team's first World Series baseball
The 35-year-old Zimmer- into the lineup during the championship, Monday, Dec. 2, 2019, in Washington.
man is the only player who postseason, starting Wash- Associated Press
has appeared for the Na- ington's last 13 games as
tionals in all 15 of their sea- they wound up beating the he's spoken to representa- Nationals agreed to one- tracts to SS Trea Turner,
sons since the franchise Houston Astros in the World tives for key free agents year deals with INF Wilmer RHP Joe Ross, OF Michael
moved to the nation's cap- Series for the city's first Stephen Strasburg and An- Difo for $1 million and RHP A. Taylor and LHP Roenis
ital from Montreal in 2005. championship since 1924. thony Rendon, he hasn't Hunter Strickland for $1.6 Elías. But RHP Javy Guerra
He was the team's first pick "We're riding high on a lot seen those two players million, avoiding arbitration. was non-tendered. ... RHP
in the amateur draft that of emotions and a lot of face-to-face to talk about Strickland can also earn up Koda Glover announced
year. Bud Light," general man- possible offers. to $600,000 in performance on Twitter that he is retiring
The club declined its $18 ager Mike Rizzo said at the "We've been meeting for bonuses: $75,000 each for at age 26 after a series of
million option for next sea- documentary premiere. about 10 years, so there's 25 games and each ad- injuries, including a forearm
son on Zimmerman, who re- Rizzo, who said he got mar- no need to have a per- ditional five through 50, problem that sidelined him
ceived a $2 million buyout ried in Jamaica in Novem- sonal meeting," Rizzo said. $50,000 for 20 games fin- for all of 2019. Glover went
and became a free agent. ber, said he didn't want to "They know where our heart ished and $100,000 for 30 3-4 with nine saves in 13
But he expects to return to discuss "2020 updates right lies and we know where games finished. ... Wash- chances and a 4.55 ERA
Washington. now." He said that while their heart lies." Notes: The ington also tendered con- across 55 1/3 innings.q

Joke as playing captain turns into reality for Tiger

Continued from Page 18 putts. Was it worth it? Of course.
"I did get a Masters out of it,"
The notion that he would be at Woods said.
Royal Melbourne without his clubs The surgery ultimately gave him
is absurd. a busier schedule than he would
Starting with the Tour Champion- have imagined, and it gave golf
ship last year, when Woods had a boost at a time of the year that
gone five years without winning, it's easily forgotten.
he won at East Lake to complete What follows is two weeks of Tiger
one phase of his comeback. in dual roles.
Then, he won the Masters in April, Next week, he heads to Royal
the missing piece, because he Melbourne as the captain of a
had gone 11 years since his last team that has little to gain and
major and 14 years since his last much to lose. The Americans
green jacket. have not lost the Presidents Cup
And then he had another surgery since 1998, such dominance that
on his left knee — his fifth, mak- In this Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019 file photo, Tiger Woods hits from a sand trap on winning is a given. The last thing
the fourth hole during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament
ing the knee 1 up over the lower at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill. Woods wants is to be in charge
back — and returned two months Associated Press of a team that allows the Interna-
later by winning the Zozo Cham- tional team to end years of futil-
pionship in Japan for his 82nd vic- end of the month, and his body The surgery was supposed to be ity, particularly a team that has
tory on the PGA Tour, tying Sam — no matter how often it's been after his Hero World Challenge only two players who have won
Snead for the career record. repaired — doesn't respond the last year, but he wanted to start tournaments this year — Joaquin
"To come back from what I've way it did when he was in his early the season at Torrey Pines and Niemann and C.T. Pan, both Pres-
come back from and have won 30s. What doesn't get enough at- surgery wouldn't have allowed it. idents Cup newcomers.
three events, it's been pretty tention was the knee surgery the So he put it off, and then it caught He is the first playing captain
good," Woods said. week of the Tour Championship up with him later in the year when since Hale Irwin in 1994 for the in-
He is not entirely back to normal to clean up minor cartilage dam- he couldn't practice as much augural matches that really did
because Woods turns 44 at the age. and rarely squatted down to read feel like an exhibition. q