Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington signs two-year extension through 2014 season

The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has signed manager Ron Washington to a two-year contract extension through the 2014 season.

Washington, 59, will be in his sixth season as Rangers manager in 2012, tied for the sixth-longest tenure among active managers.  The only managers to have longer tenures with their current clubs (team and first year) are Mike Scioscia (Angels, 2000), Ron Gardenhire (Twins, 2002), Charlie Manuel (Phillies, 2005), Jim Leyland (Tigers, 2006), and Joe Maddon (Rays, 2006).

He has led the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.  The only other managers to advance to consecutive World Series in the Division Series era (1995-2011), in which you have to win two series to get to the Fall Classic, are Bobby Cox (Atlanta, 1995-96), Joe Torre (New York-AL, 1998-99-2000-01), and Charlie Manuel (Philadelphia, 2008-09).  Washington joins Cito Gaston (Toronto, 1992-93) as the only minority managers in baseball history to accomplish the feat in consecutive years.  He has been at the helm for 18 of the 19 all-time playoff wins by the Washington/Texas franchise (1961-2011) and is the only manager in franchise history to win a postseason series.

In five seasons as the club's manager, he has compiled 427-383 (.527) record, the highest winning percentage ever by a Rangers manager with a minimum of two full seasons.  Washington ranks among the club's all-time managerial leaders in wins (3rd, 427) and games (3rd, 810), trailing only Bobby Valentine and Rangers Hall of Famer Johnny Oates in both categories.

Washington is the first manager in major league history to increase his team's win total in four straight years after his initial season with a club, using the first year as the baseline for the increased win totals.  Texas has finished in first or second place for a club-record four consecutive seasons (2008-11).

He has placed in American League Manager of the Year voting for three consecutive seasons: 2009 (T4th), 2010 (2nd), and 2011 (3rd).  He received the 2011 C.I. Taylor A.L. Manager of the Year Award from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at an event on Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.  He was named the 2010 Manager of the Year by the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) and was voted the 2008 Harold McKinney Good Guy Award by the DFW chapter of the BBWAA.

Washington was named the 17th full-time manager in Texas history on November 6, 2006.  When he was hired, he had a two-year contract through 2008 with club options for 2009 and 2010.  His 2009 club option was picked up on August 30, 2007 and his 2010 club option was picked up on June 8, 2009.  Washington agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2012 on November 4, 2010.