WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As first reported by
Guest of A Guest D.C. this morning,
Washington Nationals third baseman
Ryan Zimmerman and his longtime girlfriend
Heather Downen are now engaged.
Lucien Zeigler, Sophie Pyle, Heather Downen, and Ryan Zimmerman at January’s Jete Society Dance Party benefiting The Washington Ballet.
While the couple (who have been seeing each other for approximately two years now) have yet to officially confirm the news, a sea of congratulatory messages have been flowing through on their respective Facebook pages by happy friends and family. That and Downen has an extensive “
Wedding Bells” board on her
Pinterest page!
The newly engaged couple at last year’s Nationals Gala.
The celebratory news would mark a banner year for the Washington fan favorite. In late February, it was learned that Zimmerman had just signed a six year contract extension with the Nationals worth $100 million. That deal made him the second highest paid third baseman in the Major League (only
Alex Rodriguez makes more with $27.5 million/year compared to Zimmerman’s $16.7 million).
Zimmerman speaking at his 2011 ‘Night At The Park’ multiple sclerosis fundraiser.
Downen is a sales associate at D.C. tech startup
Venga, where she works with her sister,
Lindsey Downen. And Zimmerman has been a devoted supporter of his future wife’s career, making low-key appearances at many Venga-sponsored events and charity fundraisers.
Zimmerman was an advocate for Venga’s ‘Stuff The Bus’ campaign benefiting the D.C. Central Kitchen food bank.
Congratulations to Washington’s first ‘diamond’ couple (that’s a baseball reference; the ring has still yet to be spotted)!
