WASHINGTON — The Nationals season has been quite a ride for many people -- especially Nats manager Dave Martinez. He went from the hot seat during the slump in May all the way to the World Series in October.
All while his doctors were telling him to stay calm. Now, he's the beating heart of a World Series team.
When the Nats celebrated the win, some of us were laughing. Others, like Martinez, were crying.
Tongue-tied for a moment, Dave Martinez said it was his mother's words that came to him after winning the team won Game 4 of NLCS series Tuesday.
"I can tell you this," he told the crowd, his voice breaking. "Often bumpy roads, lead to beautiful places. And this is a beautiful place."
There was a moment when Martinez was unsure he'd live to see the historical day. On Sep. 15, standing atop the Nationals dugout, Martinez felt a sudden pain like severe heartburn. Then his left thigh went numb and he struggled to breathe.
Could it be a heart attack?
He thought of his children, his family, his team. Rushed to the hospital, doctors eventually ran a thin tube up into his heart, finding no issues.
Martinez told a few players he'd really dodged a bullet. That may have led to Anthony Rendon's calming hand during Tuesday night's game. It was like he was saying, "How's your heart, Skipper," booth announcers said, laughing. Martinez grabbed Rendon with both arms and lifted him into the air, both of them smiling.
Martinez is trying to follow his doctor's advice: Standing at the top of the dugout steps a little less, easing up on his five cups a day coffee habit and quitting alcohol for awhile.
Martinez wonders if it was the stress of summer, with his job on the line during the slump of the season, that caused the heart pain.
But he doesn't have to wonder what fixed it.
"These guys back here cured my heart," he told the victorious audience at Nats Park on Tuesday. "My heart feels great right now. And I can't wait to do this next week!"
Neither can the rest of us.