Ryan Zimmerman Day Proclaimed By Virginia Gov. Youngkin

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin proclaimed Saturday as Ryan Zimmerman Day as the University of Virginia retired the former Cavalier and Washington Nationals baseball player’s No. 11 in Charlottesville.

Zimmerman, who played 16 seasons with the Washington Nationals and was the franchise’s first top pick in the Major League Baseball draft after the team move to D.C. from Montreal, was joined by his wife and children for a pre-game ceremony at Davenport Field to retire his No. 11. The Cavaliers defeated Virginia Tech in Saturday’s game.

“It’s just so rare to see a player of that magnitude do what they did at the highest level of baseball, and then to be so engaged back at the school that they went to,” UVA head coach Brian O’Connor told VirginiaSports.com.

Zimmerman left the Cavaliers as their record-holder for hits in a season with 92. He ranks eighth in school history for career hits and was a member of Virginia’s inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame class in 2018.

Zimmerman, who grew up in Virginia Beach, is the first player in UVA baseball history to have his number retired.

“The Commonwealth’s own Ryan Zimmerman is a baseball legend and trailblazer," Youngkin said in a statement accompanying his proclamation. "I am thrilled to issue a proclamation designating Ryan Zimmerman Day in Virginia to commemorate his service to his community, UVA, Virginia and his skill and dedication to baseball. Congratulations Mr. National!”

For the Washington Nationals, Zimmerman retired in 2021 as the Nationals' career leader in games played (1,799), runs scored (963), hits (1,846), total bases (3,159), doubles (417), home runs (284) and RBIs (1,061).

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