Washington Nationals players reportedly had a strong reaction to comments made by manager Dave Martinez after Saturday’s game.
After losing their seventh straight game on Saturday, Martinez said the team’s issues were “never on the coaches,” and that players “have to go out there and play the game.” Those comments were taken by many as Martinez throwing his players under the bus for the losing streak.
That is how many of Martinez’s players took it as well. A source told Andrew Golden of the Washington Post that players were “shocked, dismayed and pissed” by Martinez’s remarks.
Martinez said he spoke with his team before Sunday’s 3-1 loss, claiming that his players knew the comments were “nothing about them.” He added that the clubhouse was “about as good as it’s ever been” and suggested he had no worries about the team’s reaction to his statements.
Whether he meant it that way or not, Martinez’s comments certainly felt like they were putting the onus on the players, and one can hardly blame players for taking it that way. A manager with Martinez’s level of experience should know better than to say that sort of thing publicly.
Martinez has been in charge of the Nationals since 2018. He is 484-596 overall, though he did lead the franchise to its first and only World Series title in 2019.
