help of Alcoholics Anonymous, whose logo has been tattooed on his hand as a gesture of thanks. He returned to action on July 21, 2006, versus the Oakland Athletics, starting at designated hitter and ending the game with two hits and 2 runs batted in during the Tigers' 7–4 win. Before the game started, FSN Detroit aired a video of Young apologizing to the fans and saying how he will continue to struggle against alcohol and drugs for the rest of his life. On September 6, 2006, with less than a month to go in their American League Championship season, the Tigers gave Young his unconditional release in a move that surprised both teammates and fans alike. The day after Thanksgiving, an ambulance took him to a hospital, where he endured a three-day stay in the intensive care unit as his doctors diagnosed diabetes. Since then, Young has taken steps to get his diabetes in control and is encouraging others to do so. He has recently appeared on dLife to talk to people about how he has lived with diabetes. Nationals: 2006–07 In late 2006, the Washington Nationals lost their first baseman Nick Johnson for nearly a year due to a broken leg. The following spring, the Nationals invited a number of first basemen to camp, including Young, who won the starting role. In his first game with the Nationals, on opening day, he hit two doubles. He went on to have a sizzling first half, reaching the All-Star break batting .340, third in the league, and he was selected to his second All-Star game—the Nationals' only representative. He singled in his only at-bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and scored on an Alfonso Soriano home run. Young received his Detroit Tigers 2006 American League Championship ring when the Tigers played the Nationals in an interleague series at RFK Stadium in June 2007. On July 4, Young hit a grand slam against the visiting Chicago Cubs. It was his sixth career grand slam. He finished the year batting .320, the highest of his career, and ninth in the National League. Towards the end of the month, Young signed a two-year, $10 million extension with a vesting option. Upon the season's close, Young won the Player's Choice National League Comeback Player of the Year award. On March 29, 2008, the Nationals confirmed that Johnson would open the