Angels Manager Ron Washington Recovering From Quadruple Bypass Heart Surgery

Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington said Monday he is recovering from quadruple bypass heart surgery. It's the first time he has publicly addressed the health issues that have sidelined him since late June.

He made the announcement while visiting the Angels for the first time since the operation eight weeks ago in California, calling it a day he had been looking forward to while recovering at his home in New Orleans. He is not returning to manage this season, but hopes to have that opportunity next year. He said he should be fully recovered by December.

"(Doctors) told me by the time I reach eight weeks I could start doing some light work, but my light work was to come up to Texas and be with the team," said Washington, the oldest manager in the majors at 73. "I feel great, I really do. ... I didn't come here to work, I came here to be around my guys and have fun with them."

Washington last managed a game on June 19 against the Yankees. The following day, the Angels said he was out indefinitely because of health issues after experiencing shortness of breath and appearing fatigued toward the end of that four-game series in New York.

After being cleared by Yankees doctors to fly home with his team, even though they initially wanted to keep him in New York, Washington underwent a series of tests in California. He said an angiogram there showed blockage in his valves that couldn’t be fixed by stents.

"This happened fast," said Washington, who was hospitalized on June 23, had surgery on June 30 and was discharged on July 7. 

The Angels, without elaborating then, announced on June 27 that he was on medical leave for the rest of the season.

"What happened to me saved my life," said Washington, who added that he has quit