Jim Riggleman has walked away from the Washington Nationals

By Anthony Caruso III

Jim Riggleman quits.

Riggleman walks off the job shortly after the Washington Nationals had a walk-off win. Riggleman said he deserved better than how the Nationals were treating him.

Right before the game with the Seattle Mariners, Riggleman told his bosses that he wanted his option for next season picked up, or that he would quit on the team. The Nationals did not give in, so Riggleman walked.

"It's been brewing for a while," Riggleman said. "I know I'm not Casey Stengel, but I do feel like I know what I'm doing. It's not a situation where I felt like I should continue on such a short lease."

"Jim told me pregame today that if we wouldn't pick up his option, then he wouldn't get on the team bus today," said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo. "I felt that the time wasn't right for me to pick up the option, and certainly today's conversation put to me in the way it was put to me, you certainly can't make that decision in a knee-jerk reaction. It's too big of a decision."