ARLINGTON, Texas — There was one night when Ron Washington awoke in his hospital bed, and thought he had died. There were wires and IVs attached to his body, and he started to yank them out. A doctor came rushing in, confused, and asked what he was doing. He asked if he was alive or dead, genuinely uncertain of the answer in that moment.
He was alive, the doctor told him, in a story that he can now smile about.
Life is something that the sidelined Angels skipper was thankful for, as he sat in his full uniform and red team pullover on Monday afternoon. It was the baseball lifer’s first time at a ball game in more than two months.
Washington had received quadruple bypass surgery.
The result, he said, of his eating choices and years of cigarette smoking. He was 17 pounds lighter, his voice was weaker, but he was very much the same iconic baseball figure who has been in the game for more than five decades.
“My eating habits have changed. I no longer smoke,” he said. “People have been after me for years for that. And it took a bypass for me to stop smoking. But I’m through smoking. I’m changing my eating habits. I’m sleeping better, and I’m stress free.
“If you see me smoking a cigarette, I’ll give you the OK to walk up to me and slap me.”
a special visitor 👋 pic.twitter.com/0DE6QgO2lK
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) August 25, 2025
Washington first realized he needed medical attention when his ankles were swollen while the team was in New York on a road trip in mid-June. Upon returning to California, he got more tests and eventually checked into a hospital on June 23, underwent surgery a week later, and didn’t exit until July 7. Washington then flew back to his home in New Orleans, where he’s been recovering ever since.
He plans to be with the team for its series at Texas and Houston, and then head back to Anaheim for the final month of the season. The 73-year-old made it unequivocally clear that he wants to return to manage the Angels next season.
“I miss baseball, this is my life,” Washington said. “And if (Angels GM) Perry (Minasian) will have me back, I certainly want to come back and finish what we started.”
Washington said he’s yet to have that conversation with Minasian, and the Angels GM declined to comment on the matter before Monday’s game.
Washington said he wants to come back because he believes in the direction of the Angels, who have improved on their 63-99 record from last season, but still remain out of the playoff picture at 61-69 so far this season. As he talked about his desire to return, he went on a tangent that felt vintage. It felt like a regular pregame media scrum as he dissected Zach Neto’s defense, Jo Adell’s breakout season, and other elements of the team he’s overseen the last season and a half.
He’s been watching every game, and believes the league is starting to respect the club he’s helped build.
“He looks like himself,” Adell said. “I’m really glad to see him out here, and I know everybody out here is excited as well. He’s shown up to the field every day, been a part of this grind with us. To get that taken away abruptly, for something that was out of his control, I feel for him. I know we all do.”
Adell’s made a point to keep up with his manager through phone calls over the last two months. Mike Trout, Travis d’Arnaud and the entire coaching staff came to visit him in the hospital at various points. Though most of his connections with players came when he entered the ballpark today and greeted them.
Washington shows the remaining scars from his surgery. (Sam Blum / The Athletic)
Washington said he doesn’t have to pace himself, noting that “my pace is what it is, and it won’t change.” He will still rehabilitate, which involves mostly cardiovascular exercise, and expects to be fully recovered in December. After his press conference ended, he lifted up his sweater to reveal the scars from surgery.
“What happened to me saved my life,” Washington said. “That’s what happened.”
Before the Angels’ series-opening game, Washington sat in the dugout, fungo bat at his side, not talking to anyone, appearing to soak it all in. There was a time he didn’t know if he’d ever be back in that spot. There were those moments, alone in the hospital, where he wasn’t sure if he was even alive.
And while much remains uncertain about his baseball future, in that moment at least, he was back in the place where he belongs. In a ballpark, alongside his team. A part of the game that has always defined him.
“I want to do this until we get this right,” Washington said. “I want to finish what we started.”
(Top photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)