The reigning champion Washington Nationals will get the first look at their 2019 World Series rings on Sunday night. The club is holding an online ceremony to virtually unveil their rings with the coronavirus pandemic keeping players from celebrating together with their fans at Nationals Park.
The Nats were originally going to send the rings to the players for Sunday's ceremony, but players wanted to wait to get their new commemorative jewelry in person. Instead, several players "will share their thoughts regarding the 2019 postseason and the ring" during a live stream on the Nationals website on Sunday night, the team said.
The Nationals will stream the documentary "Improbable," which details the story of the 2019 champs on Sunday night. The club is also holding a Nats4Good fundraiser.
Improbable is a good name for their run, given where the Nationals started. Remember when they were 19-31 through 50 games? Winning the World Series after that start is indeed improbable. The cherry on top? The Nats were 19-31 heading into May 24 last season. Starting that day, the Nationals won nine of their next 11 games and they were off to the races. They'll celebrate virtually on May 24, 2020.
A virtual ring ceremony is far from perfect, though it's a neat idea by the Nationals. That said, I don't blame players at all for wanting to wait until they could reunite in person to get their rings. The wait will make the ceremony that much more special for everyone.
