RIZZO’S HARD WORK IS CAPITOL’S GAIN

When the Lerner family took ownership of the Nationals in 2006, their first hire was Mike Rizzo as assistant general manager. That turned out to be the initial step in building Washington’s first World Series champion in 95 years.

Rizzo, now the team’s general manager and president of baseball operations, joined a franchise that had the lowest-rated farm system in baseball, played in dilapidated RFK Stadium and was in its first of five straight seasons with at least 89 losses.

Rizzo ascended to GM in 2009 and led Washington to National League East division titles in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017.

Those four NL East champions all fell in the best-of-five Division Series, three of them in heartbreaking Game 5s at Nationals Park. But this October, with a blend of veterans and young standouts, Washington made history by winning five elimination