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  6. article_body => "<p>Baseball may not yet be close to returning to action, but Nationals manager Davey Martinez hasn\u2019t given up hope that the 2020 season will be salvaged after the start pf the campaign was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do believe that we'll have a season, but at this particular moment, for me and for our players, our main concern is the well-being of families, friends, fans,\u201d Martinez <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/28966451\/mlb-managers-how-helping-team-family-deal-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\">told ESPN\u2019s Marly Rivera<\/a>. \u201cWe need to get out of this healthy and ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is the seventh time MLB has had to cut into a season. The last time it happened was 1994-95, when a strike by the players forced the league to cancel \u201994 World Series. Martinez was a member of the San Francisco Giants that season, denied a chance to make the playoffs after the season came to a halt with the Giants only three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.<\/p>\n<p>But when asked if he had any past experiences helping him get through the pandemic that\u2019s forced governors across the U.S. to issue stay-at-home orders, Martinez pointed to another traumatic event that shook both baseball and the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, 9\/11,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cI am from New York and I have family in New York. I understood what everybody was going through. But New York rebounded, and baseball came back and took everybody in. I was playing with Atlanta and we played the Mets in that first game [in New York after 9\/11].<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were winning that game, and all of a sudden [Mike] Piazza hits the home run -- and it was almost a sigh of relief for everybody. It really was. That moment, watching the ball go over the fence. ... I know we're all so competitive and we all want to win, but in that particular moment for me, it was like, \u2018You know what, this is what the game's all about. Win or lose, this is what the game is all about.\u2019 Watching and listening to the fans stand up and cheer like they did, it was phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/racing-presidents\/episodes\/9d082c6b-ecf9-4de5-a3cf-8235b310ff10\/embed?theme=light-blue\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe> \n<p>While stuck at his home in Tennessee, Martinez has helped pass the time by driving around his property on a four-wheeler and reaching out to his players\u2014two or three a day. He asks them about their families, trying to gauge what their mindsets are because \u201call of a sudden what you love to do this time of year is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe there will be baseball,\u201d Martinez said \u201cI can't put a finger on when, but we're going to step back on that field and we're going to have a lot of fun. I tell the boys, think of it this way, we hold the trophy for a lot longer than anybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the defending World Series champions, the Nationals have been able to at least take solace in the fact that a banner-raising ceremony and ring presentation await them when they return to D.C. Until then, all Martinez can do is bunker down and wait things out along with the rest of the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think about that moment when we come back and get those beautiful rings and put up that banner in the stadium,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cIt's still going to be there no matter what when we get back. But under these circumstances, I can't think about anything else but the safety of the people and our love for this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Stay connected to the Capitals and Wizards with the MyTeams app.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/smart.link\/5bb65a2b6cedb?site_id=Dig_RSN_Wash&amp;creative_id=nbcswash1200&amp;cp_4=www.nbcsports.com&amp;cp_1=washington&amp;cp_2=myteams-nbc-sports&amp;cp_3=nbcswash1200\">Click here<\/a>&nbsp;to download for comprehensive coverage of your teams.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>MORE NATIONALS&nbsp;NEWS:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Leaving&nbsp;West Palm: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/nationals\/nationals-leave-spring-training-facility-after-it-shut-down-converted-coronavirus-test\">Ballpark used as testing site<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Reaching a deal:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/nationals\/mlb-reportedly-reaches-deal-players-issues-stemming-coronavirus-pandemic\">MLB, union take big step<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Late start:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/nationals\/why-nationals-could-benefit-late-start-season\">Could help the Nats in 2020<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n"
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Nationals

Nationals

Baseball may not yet be close to returning to action, but Nationals manager Davey Martinez hasn’t given up hope that the 2020 season will be salvaged after the start pf the campaign was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“I do believe that we'll have a season, but at this particular moment, for me and for our players, our main concern is the well-being of families, friends, fans,” Martinez told ESPN’s Marly Rivera. “We need to get out of this healthy and ready to go.”

This is the seventh time MLB has had to cut into a season. The last time it happened was 1994-95, when a strike by the players forced the league to cancel ’94 World Series. Martinez was a member of the San Francisco Giants that season, denied a chance to make the playoffs after the season came to a halt with the Giants only three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

But when asked if he had any past experiences helping him get through the pandemic that’s forced governors across the U.S. to issue stay-at-home orders, Martinez pointed to another traumatic event that shook both baseball and the country.

“For me, 9/11,” Martinez said. “I am from New York and I have family in New York. I understood what everybody was going through. But New York rebounded, and baseball came back and took everybody in. I was playing with Atlanta and we played the Mets in that first game [in New York after 9/11].

 

“We were winning that game, and all of a sudden [Mike] Piazza hits the home run -- and it was almost a sigh of relief for everybody. It really was. That moment, watching the ball go over the fence. ... I know we're all so competitive and we all want to win, but in that particular moment for me, it was like, ‘You know what, this is what the game's all about. Win or lose, this is what the game is all about.’ Watching and listening to the fans stand up and cheer like they did, it was phenomenal.”

While stuck at his home in Tennessee, Martinez has helped pass the time by driving around his property on a four-wheeler and reaching out to his players—two or three a day. He asks them about their families, trying to gauge what their mindsets are because “all of a sudden what you love to do this time of year is gone.”

“I believe there will be baseball,” Martinez said “I can't put a finger on when, but we're going to step back on that field and we're going to have a lot of fun. I tell the boys, think of it this way, we hold the trophy for a lot longer than anybody else.”

As the defending World Series champions, the Nationals have been able to at least take solace in the fact that a banner-raising ceremony and ring presentation await them when they return to D.C. Until then, all Martinez can do is bunker down and wait things out along with the rest of the world.

“I think about that moment when we come back and get those beautiful rings and put up that banner in the stadium,” Martinez said. “It's still going to be there no matter what when we get back. But under these circumstances, I can't think about anything else but the safety of the people and our love for this country.”

Stay connected to the Capitals and Wizards with the MyTeams app. Click here to download for comprehensive coverage of your teams.

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