Not even a quadruple bypass heart surgery will stop Ron Washington from coaching the game of baseball.
Washington, 73, will be joining the Giants’ coaching staff as an infield coach, he confirmed Thursday.
“We are working out the logistics. I have agreed to join the Giants,” Washington told The Associated Press in a text message. “I get a chance to continue to make a difference.”
Washington was at the helm of the Angels last season before leaving abruptly in June to undergo the surgery, with bench coach Ray Montgomery taking over as the interim manager for the remainder of the year.
Despite the surgery, Washington insisted that the Angels’ decision to fire him in September was based on the team’s play rather than his health.
“You know, when you’re a competitor, and you’re in charge, none of that stuff comes into play,” Washington told The Athletic in September. “Sometimes you’ve got to make chicken salad out of chicken s–t.”
The Angels finished in last place in the American League West with a 72-90 record.
Under Washington’s tenure, however, Los Angeles was sitting at a respectable 36-38 when he left the team.
“I think I had the team going in the right direction — I really did,” Washington said. “And it was just too bad that my health came into play. There’s nothing that I can do about that.
“It was my team. I think the team took on my personality. We were definitely showing that. In this business, this is the kind of stuff that happens to you. When everything goes not the way people wanted, you take the blame for it. And I’m OK.”
Washington also mentioned that he did not speak with owner Arte Moreno before being fired.
“I have to accept that,” Washington added. “I can’t go back to argue with them to try and tell them different when they’ve made a decision. … We were starting to perform better.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
