WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Washington Nationals have named Davey Johnson as their new manager, the team said on Sunday, filling a position that became available last week following the unexpected resignation of Jim Riggleman. The 68-year-old Johnson, most recently a special assistant with the Nationals, last managed in Major League Baseball in 2000 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He won a World Series in 1986 as manager of the New York Mets.
Johnson, who will be in uniform on Monday for the team’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, will keep the position for the remainder of the 2011 season. He also agreed to a three-year consulting contract that will have him remain with the Nationals and allow him to participate in the hiring of his successor.
“We could have absolutely no better choice to lead the Nationals at this time than Davey Johnson,” Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. “He knows the game, he knows our players, he knows our fans, he knows the Washington, DC area, and he knows exactly what we need to be doing to build the Nationals into a contender.”
FIFTH STINT
The Nationals made the announcement two days after John McLaren stepped in on an interim basis for Riggleman, who resigned abruptly on Thursday because the club refused to discuss a contract extension. According to the Nationals, Riggleman had told the team before Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners that he would quit immediately after the game unless his contract was extended for another season.
Johnson, a former American League Manager of the Year, takes over a Nationals team that has won 12 of their last 14 games and trails the National League East division-leading Philadelphia Phillies by 8.5 games. This will mark Johnson’s fifth stint as a manager after compiling a 1,148-888 record during his spells with the Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles and Dodgers. In 14 big league seasons, Johnson’s clubs finished first or second 11 times, including five division titles, one pennant and one World Series championship.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Sonia Oxley)