Washington Nationals

McCraw Back in Washington

The Nationals are the first Major League Baseball franchise to have moved in the last 34 years. While his situation appears unprecedented, it's also a symbol of McCraw's longevity in the sport.

"It means I'm close to the end of the line," said McCraw, 64. "The circle is closing on me. I kind of look at it like that. I've completed a circle I've been blessed to do. It's coming to the end."

McCraw's lone season with the Senators was the club's last in Washington, as the franchise moved to Texas in 1972. The little time McCraw spent there exposed him to the insight of manager Ted Williams, a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest hitters who ever lived. Consequently, McCraw has spent the last three seasons as the Montreal Expos' hitting coach and has also held the title with the Houston Astros, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles.

"That's why I'm a hitting instructor today, because of my encounters with Ted Williams and how he impacted my process of hitting," McCraw said. "It was probably the greatest thing I can remember in all my years in the game, the process he took me through. It wasn't candy and roses, either. We had some pretty strong conversations at the time."

McCraw remembered warming the Senators' bench, watching them lose by a few runs to his former team, the White Sox, when Williams told him to get his bat. There were runners on base in scoring position.

"Ted was a big man," recalled McCraw. "He folded his arms and looked down at me. He said, 'I want to let that kid throw that fastball right by your [rear].'"