Nationals hitting coach Kevin Long, the former Yankees and Mets hitting coach, is going to his third World Series since 2009, in large part because of the work he did over the winter with Nationals hitters, most notably veteran Howie Kendrick.
That 2009 season was the last time the Yankees won a World Series and they have not been back since.
Long’s visits to his players in the offseason often pay huge dividends. That is one of the many reasons that made him so successful with the Yankees and with the Mets in 2015, the last time they went to the World Series.