LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The Dodgers joined President Donald Trump at the White House Monday to celebrate their 2024 World Series championship.
All the Dodger players, except for Freddie Freeman who is on the injured list and recovering from an ankle sprain, coaches and manager Dave Roberts visited the White House on Monday.
Trump recognized some Dodgers in particular, including Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw. Trump congratulated Ohtani for winning the National League MVP and becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
“He looks like a movie star,” Trump said. “An accomplishment unparalleled.”
Trump asked if Ohtani was that good, and Roberts responded, “He’s only getting better.”
Trump called Kershaw the “heart and soul” of the pitching staff.
“Unbelievable,” Trump said. “I’m glad to meet him.”
Shortstop Mookie Betts told reporters Friday he would join the team on the visit, after declining to join the Boston Red Sox on a visit in 2018 during Trump’s first term.
Betts emphasized to reporters in Philadelphia on Friday that his choice to go was not political, but rather because of his desire to be there for the team.
“No matter what I say or what I do, people are gonna take it as political,” Betts said. “But that’s definitely not what it is. This is about what the Dodgers were able to accomplish last year.”
Betts called it a “regret” that he didn’t join the Red Sox for their visit, which also was skipped by Boston manager Alex Cora, who was born in Puerto Rico, and pitcher David Price, who like Betts is Black, among others, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Betts said he felt like his absence distracted from that team’s accomplishment and made the news cycle about him, something he felt in hindsight was “selfish,” The Times reported.
“This is not about me; I don’t want anything to be about me,” Betts said. “This is about the Dodgers. Because these boys were there for me,” going on to refer to support from his teammates after going hitless in his first six at-bats of last season’s National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, extending his postseason hitless streak to 22 at-bats dating back to 2022.
When asked if every player on the 2024 team who is still a Dodger will be going to the White House, a team spokesman told City News Service that Freeman did not travel with the team on its six-game East Coast road trip.
The Dodgers placed Freeman on the 10-day injured list on Thursday due to a right ankle sprain.
The team met Trump in the East Room, according to the White House.
When the Dodgers last visited the White House as World Series champions on July 2, 2021, Joe Biden was president.
The visit coincides with the team’s three-game series against the Washington Nationals, which begins Monday.
A petition on Change.org urging the Dodgers to cancel their visit created March 25 had drawn 1,785 verified signatures as of Sunday afternoon.
The starter of the petition, identified on the site only as Walker D, described himself as a “passionate fan” of the team and said the White House visit is “a matter of concern.”
“Our team, beloved by many Latino fans and people of color, is being invited to break bread with an administration that we feel attacks our principles and values,” Walker D wrote. “This administration’s stance on immigration, civil rights, and racial discourse has been at odds with the experiences and views of many fans.
“According to Pew Research Center, Latinos account for about 48% of baseball fans in Los Angeles. A significant percentage of this population — a community deeply interwoven with our favorite team’s success — feels persecuted and targeted by recent policies and rhetoric from the administration,” the statement continued.
“In the spirit of solidarity, and to voice our support for the values that We as Dodger’s fanbase hold dear, we ask that the Los Angeles Dodgers reconsider their acceptance of this White House visit. Let us uphold the values of inclusivity and respect that our team represents — on and off the field.”
A Dodgers spokesman told City News Service on Sunday that the organization had no comment on people who have written or said they should not visit the White House.
Dodgers President Stan Kasten told Los Angeles Times sports columnist Dylan Hernandez on March 27 that the visit “was something we discussed with all the players, all of whom wanted to go.”
“Remember, everyone in here grew up wanting to be a world champion and all the things that come with it, and it comes with a Champagne toast, silliness in the locker room, a parade, rings, an invitation to the White House,” Kasten said.
“It’s what they all come to associate with being world champions. Everyone wanted to go, and so we did.”
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