Nationals Reveal Details of Dave Martinez's Medical Emergency
By Michael Luciano
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez was sent to the hospital after Sunday's win over the Braves in DC, and uncertainty and speculation still abound about the status of the man who orchestrated one of the best managerial jobs in baseball this year.
Following the game, Martinez remained in Washington to undergo further tests for chest pains. It turns out, he had a minor cardiac catherization to stabilize his heart; bench coach Chip Hale will manage the Nationals while Martinez gets further testing.
Davey Martinez has chest pains during the game. He had a minor heart procedure, called a cardiac catherization.
— Brittany Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) September 16, 2019
After serving as the Chicago Cubs bench coach, Martinez was hired in 2018 to replace Dusty Baker. Under his watch, Washington has won 53% of their games, and remain in line to make the playoffs as a Wild Card this year.
Rizzo said Chip Hale will manage the team until Martinez returns, but didn’t have an expectation on a timetable for now. He said he spoke to Davey, who remained upbeat.
— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) September 16, 2019
Joe Dillon will be the first base coach and Tim Bogar will be in the dugout
Luckily for the playoff-bound Nationals, Martinez's procedure seems relatively routine, and he likely avoided something more serious. If the usual recovery time for procedures like this are anything to go by, he'll be back in the Washington dugout at some point prior to the postseason.