Former Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson has passed away at the age of 82. Best remembered in Washington for guiding the team from 2011 to 2013, Johnson’s leadership brought the franchise to new heights, including its first division title and a record-setting 98-win season in 2012.
In just over two seasons with Washington, Johnson compiled a 224–183 record across 407 games. But his impact cannot be measured by numbers alone. On October 1, 2012, Johnson led the Nationals to new heights, capturing the organization’s first division title since the Montreal Expos’ 1981 season. That year, the Nationals finished with 98 wins—the most in Major League Baseball—behind the electric arms of Stephen Strasburg and Gio González and the emerging talents of Ian Desmond and a 19-year-old Bryce Harper. It was a season that announced to the baseball world that the Nationals had arrived.
The following year, 2013, was more turbulent. After a hot 7–3 start, expectations of a repeat division crown faded as inconsistencies plagued the team. They entered the All-Star break barely above .500 at 48–47. But Johnson’s Nationals showed resilience, finishing with a strong 18–9 September push. Ultimately, their late-season run came up short, missing the Wild Card by four games, but they still secured 86 wins and a second-place finish in the NL East.
On September 29, 2013, Johnson announced his retirement, closing a managerial chapter that carried immense significance for Washington baseball. For years, his 224 career wins stood as the franchise record until Dave Martinez surpassed him during the 2021 season.
While Davey Johnson managed many clubs across his storied baseball career, Nationals fans will always remember him as the manager who turned promise into proof: that Washington could be a contender. His leadership and steady hand ushered in one of the franchise’s defining moments, a moment that still resonates today.
Farewell to Davey Johnson—the skipper who helped bring October baseball to Nationals Park.