Nats unveil WS rings -- including 'Baby Shark'

In the end, “Baby Shark” made its way on a World Series ring.

The Nationals unveiled the design of their commemorative 2019 championship jewelry in a virtual presentation on Sunday night. The rings, designed by Jostens, each weigh 23.2 carats and feature intricate designs to reflect significant moments in Nats history and their World Series title run.

“I’m not going to lie, I cried. I really did,” manager Dave Martinez said on the "Kolko & Friends" aftershow. “It was emotional. A testament to all these guys right here in front of me right now, what they’d done all year and what they went through.”

The yellow- and white-gold rings boast the Nationals’ “W” logo made of 30 rubies, representing the number of runs scored over their four World Series wins. On the top of the ring, 32 sapphires represent their seven walk-off wins, 13 shutout wins, their season-long eight-game winning streak and their four postseason series victories. The 108 diamonds signify 105 regular-season and postseason wins, one World Series championship and the two team names (Expos and Nationals) in the history of the franchise. Another 12 rubies on the top and bottom edges represent the Nats’ postseason win total.

The players’ last names are featured on the left side of the ring, above the depiction of Washington D.C.’s landmarks, with an American flag in the background. Their uniform numbers are just below that. The Roman numeral MMVI (2006, the year the Lerner family purchased the Nationals) and 2019 are also in this section.

On the right side, the mantra “Fight Finished” is spelled out above the Commissioner’s Trophy and Nationals Park. There are four diamonds to signify their previous National League East titles and a ruby for the World Series championship.

The team slogan “Go 1-0 Every Day” is engraved on the back of the ring. Take a look inside, and that’s where the Nationals’ anthem appears. A shark holding a trophy represents Gerardo Parra's walk-up song that is tied to their historic feat. The championship date is also etched inside of the ring, along with the logos of each opponent defeated and the series scores.

“They got the ‘Baby Shark’ in there, and they had the ‘Fight Finished,’” right-hander Max Scherzer said. “Just the overall design looked great. When I can actually put that thing on … when we’re all together, when we have that moment together, that’s the final piece to our championship.”

The ring ceremony had been scheduled for the Nationals' opening home series. When the season was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the team planned to hold a virtual presentation on May 24, marking the date of its turnaround from a 19-31 start. The format of the event changed at the preference of the players to wait until they could receive their rings in person.

“It’s unbelievable,” veteran infielder Howie Kendrick said. “They did a great job. I’m beyond shocked with the ring. I can’t wait to get mine. … I think the only thing better than seeing it is going to be wearing it.”

The hour-long ring design unveiling featured appearances from members of Nationals ownership, general manager Mike Rizzo and Commissioner Rob Manfred. Former Nationals players Chad Cordero, Brian Schneider, Denard Span and Adam LaRoche opened the program with special messages for the team. Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, Redskins quarterback Alex Smith, former Redskins running back Brian Mitchell, Chef José Andrés and Captain, the official dog of the Capitals, were among those from the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area who also delivered congratulatory remarks.

Following the official ceremony, Martinez, Kendrick, Scherzer, Ryan Zimmerman, Sean Doolittle, Aaron Barrett and pitching coach Paul Menhart participated in a live virtual afterparty hosted by MASN’s Dan Kolko.

During the design unveiling and postshow, fans had the opportunity to donate to the NATS4GOOD Community Response Fund for hunger relief. Select messages of support were shown during the ring presentation.

“I like all the significance of the number of stones and how they all mean something,” Zimmerman said. “I think it will be cool for us all to get it together. With the situation that we’re in, obviously, nothing’s normal right now. To kind of give the fans a look at this, and at the same time raise some money -- I’m still in Virginia and this is still one of the hardest-hit areas and there’s people struggling here. … Anything we can do to give back to them, it’s the least we can do.”

Jessica Camerato covers the Nationals for MLB.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicacamerato, Facebook and Instagram.