Davey Martinez remembers a meaningful gesture from the late Ted Lerner

While all the excitement surrounding the start of a new season is down in West Palm Beach, hearts remain heavy in D.C. for the late Ted Lerner, the Nationals’ founding principal owner who passed away at the age of 97 on Monday.

The stories of how Lerner’s life was entrenched in Washington baseball have been told numerous times over the past few days. How he was born on the same day the Senators lost Game 7 of the 1925 World Series, and how he grew up to become an usher at old Griffith Stadium. How he purchased the Nationals in 2006, one year after the franchise moved to D.C. from Montreal. And how he built the team into a perennial contender that claimed four National League East division titles before winning the NL Wild Card Game, the NL pennant on his 94th birthday and the World Series two weeks later in 2019.

The team, general manager Mike Rizzo and Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred have all released statements filled with condolences and kind words about the late Nats owner.

“Mr. Lerner was an irreplaceable presence whose passing leaves a profound void in the Washington Nationals family,” Rizzo said in his statement. “He was truly one of a kind.

“Those of us who had the privilege of working for Mr. Lerner observed a brilliant business mind and a uniquely thoughtful form of analysis. His confident, systematic approach to challenges provided me a life-long lesson in persistence and perseverance. His influence on me was immeasurable and I will always be grateful for the opportunities he afforded the entire Nationals organization.

“I send my sincere condolences to the entire Lerner family.”

Yesterday, during his first press conference of spring training, manager Davey Martinez was able to share his thoughts on Lerner.

“He was an incredible man,” Martinez said. “He gave me an opportunity to do something that I really love, and he accepted me here. It’s been awesome. I’ll never forget what he’s done for me and my family.”

Martinez joined Rizzo, Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg as members of the Nationals who attended Lerner’s funeral on Tuesday. The manager and GM flew back to D.C. from West Palm Beach before Martinez returned to Florida for the start of camp.

Now entering his sixth season at the helm of the Nationals, Martinez remembers when he first interviewed for the managerial position back in 2013, when he was still Joe Maddon’s bench coach with the Rays.

He didn’t get the job then, the Nationals instead hiring Matt Williams. But Martinez appreciated the kind words Lerner shared with him then.

“He called me and he told me, ‘Hey, look, whatever you do, you’re going to be successful. Your interview was great. I wish you all the best. And who knows what will happen in the future,’” Martinez said. “I thought that was pretty awesome.”

Obviously, it ended up working out.

Martinez had also interviewed for the managerial jobs with the Blue Jays, Cleveland, White Sox, Astros, Cubs and Rays before finally coming back to land the job with the Nationals after the 2017 season.

But after all of those interviews and rejections, Lerner stood out the most to Martinez because of one simple gesture: a phone call.

“He’s the only owner that’s ever called me,” Martinez said, “and that meant a lot to me.”

An incredible man, indeed, who finally got his guy to deliver his first world championship. And on whom he left a lasting impression.