Ex-Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington has finally given up his vice
Quadruple bypass won’t force Ron Washington to quit baseball, but it did push him to stop something much more difficult than surrendering the need to manage baseball games.
“I no longer smoke,” the former Texas Rangers and current Los Angeles Angels manager said Monday evening.
Wash was baseball’s Marlboro Man; he is one of those old-school guys for whom a cigarette seemingly was surgically attached to his fingers. Quitting smoking is one of the hardest addictions to stop.
He found a good reason to quit: Death. Wash is recovering from a quadruple bypass surgery performed on June 27, after which he thought he was dead.
“I remember being in the hospital, and actually I thought I was dead because I was laying some place where they had put me for a few days. And I said, ‘I didn’t make it,’” Washington said to a small group of reporters on Monday night at Globe Life Field before the Angels played the Rangers.
“So I started pulling stuff off, and the guy saw me doing it, and he came running in, and he grabbed my hand. He said, ‘What’s going on?’ I say, ‘Am I dead?’ He said, ‘No, you’re here.’”
Ron Washington won’t quit Angels
Monday was the first time he publicly discussed a health situation that forced him to leave the Angels for the rest of the season on June 20.
Whatever you think of Ron Washington the manager, or whatever you think of Ron Washington the person, you respect anyone who just keeps getting up. Few get back up better than Ron Washington.
Given his age, 73, and perception of health, it was widely assumed in baseball circles that when Wash stepped away for health reasons he had managed his last game. As Rangers players, front office people and fans all know, Ron Washington could survive a meteor strike.
Washington was the manager of the Rangers from 2007 to 2014; he led the team to consecutive World Series appearances in 2010 and ‘11. He quit late in the 2014 season for personal reasons.
He does not want to quit now, so he plans to follow doctor’s orders. Change the diet. Quit smoking.
“People have been after me about that, and it took a bypass for me to stop smoking. I’m through smoking,” he said. “My eating habits have changed. I’m sleeping better. I’m stress-free.”
Washington said his routine had been to stop smoking in the winter. Once the season starts, he fires up. The problem is a baseball season can be nearly nine straight months. This time, quitting can have no offseason.
Other than during COVID, this is the first time in more than 50 years Washington has been home in the summer rather than on a baseball field.
Support from GM Perry Minasian
“I’m going to recover,” he said. “I will be 100 percent. I miss baseball. This is my life. If [Angels GM Perry Minasian] will have me back, I certainly want to come back and finish what we started.”
Minasian, an Arlington native who grew up working for the Rangers as a clubhouse attendant, was maybe the only guy in MLB who would give Wash another shot at managing when he hired him in November 2023. Wash is the least young manager in MLB.
The Angels finished 63-99 in his first season, and are seven games under .500 as of Tuesday.
Despite his well-documented mistakes in the past, Washington remains one of the most likable, and respected, men in baseball. His knowledge of baseball is encyclopedic, and his willingness to be open and honest about anything makes him a rare combination for that position.
He loves his players, and you would have a hard time finding one who didn’t love him back.
“I’ve watched every single game, even in the hospital,” he said. “I was there rooting for each and every one of them. I feel like I never left.
“It was strange,” he said, “but I haven’t missed a game.”
Baseball is better with its Marlboro Man back on the bench, but Ron Washington is much better off without the Marlboros.
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 1:28 PM.
