Fansided

Washington Nationals fire manager Matt Williams

By Kyle Franzoni

Sep 14, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams (9) walks off the field after a pitching change against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals defeated the Phillies, 8-7 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams (9) walks off the field after a pitching change against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals defeated the Phillies, 8-7 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Nationals have made the firing of manager official on Monday, a day after their season came to a merciful end.

The regular season has come to an end for Major League Baseball and the postseason begins on Tuesday. For ten lucky teams, that means a shot at the 2015 World Series title. For the remaining teams it means a winter of golf and putting the disappointment of a failed season behind them.

Of the latter teams, the Washington Nationals began the process of putting even more behind them, including their manager.

According to James Wagner of the Washington Post, the Nationals have become the first team in baseball to fire their manager, canning Matt Williams on Monday morning.

The move came as no surprise to those in the baseball world. Washington came into the season as the World Series favorite, having added ace Max Scherzer to one of the best pitching staffs in the game. However, after finishing a distant seven games behind the New York Mets for the National League East title and 14 games back in the Wild Card hunt, the Nats were considered one of the biggest disappointments in baseball.

Compounding the issues with not achieving expectations were questions about Williams’ ability to manage the team properly. From his questionable bullpen usage, insistence on small ball when situations didn’t call for it, and his overall loss of the Nationals’ clubhouse, Williams was pretty much a lame duck entering the final two weeks of the season. The incident between Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper was just the final push out the door.

In two seasons with the Nationals, Williams was a combined 179-145 and won the 2014 National League Manager of the Year award. However, the team lost in the National League Divisional Series to the eventual champion San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, Williams wasn’t able to recapture that magic and eventually lost his clubhouse in the process, sealing his fate.

At this time, the Nationals don’t have a clear-cut map as to which candidates they will consider to replace Williams. Torey Lovullo in Boston has gotten a lot of praise while handling the reins with John Farrell out due to cancer treatments. Additionally, experienced managers like Ron Gardenhire, Dusty Baker, and others will likely hear their names called in connection with the Nationals job.

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