Sad news out of the world of baseball.
Ted Lerner, who is a billionaire real estate tycoon who purchased the Washington Nationals in 2006, has died, according to a Feb. 13 announcement from the franchise. He was 97-years-old.
A spokesperson for the Nationals said Lerner died Feb. 12 of complications from pneumonia at his Chevy Chase, Maryland, home.
Lerner and his group purchased the Washington, D.C., franchise from MLB for $450 million in 2006 after the team — known as the Expos at the time — was relocated from Montreal to our nation’s capital to become the Nationals. He was the managing principal owner of the team until giving the role to his son Mark in 2018.
Ted Lerner is the reason baseball came back to DC after 33 years.
Thank you, Ted.
Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/FCgEchEYmO
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) February 13, 2023
When the Lerner family took over the Washington Nationals, they were one of the worst franchises in baseball, however, ownership would eventually take them to a World Series championship in 2019. The Lerners also get the credit for giving new life to D.C.’s Navy Yard area since Nationals Park’s 2008 opening.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Founding Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner,” said the organization in a statement. “The crowning achievement of his family business was bringing baseball back to the city he loved — and with it, bringing a championship home for the first time since 1924. He cherished the franchise and what it brought to his beloved hometown.” (RELATED: The Rosters For The World Baseball Classic Have Been Released, And Here Are The Best Lineups)
It’s a shame people have to get old and die — sad stuff.