WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump honored the World Series champion Nationals at the White House on Monday, though more than half a dozen players skipped the ceremony on the South Lawn.
Reliever Sean Doolittle, who along with his wife has worked with Syrian refugees and military veterans and supports gay rights, did not attend the event. Also among those not listed as being in attendance Monday were National League MVP candidate Anthony Rendon, outfielders Victor Robles and Michael A. Taylor, and pitchers Joe Ross, Javy Guerra and Wander Suero.
Of the 25 players on Washington’s World Series roster, 18 were in attendance. Principal owner Mark Lerner was the only member of the ownership group listed as attending.
Trump applauded the team’s first title in franchise history, calling it a “comeback story for the ages” and predicting it will be the first victory of many. He singled out World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, NLCS MVP Howie Kendrick and others.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki donned a “Make America Great Again” hat during the half-hour ceremony, and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman thanked Trump for “keeping everyone here safe in our country and continuing to make American the greatest country to live in the world,” before presenting Trump with a No. 45 Nationals jersey.
Despite those moments and the president referencing impeachment, the Nationals’ visit did not have as much political undertone as when the 2018 champion Boston Red Sox were honored by Trump but without manager Alex Cora, who did not attend that ceremony after citing his frustration with the administration’s efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane.
Washington manager Dave Martinez, whose parents are Puerto Rican, was in attendance and made some brief remarks.
The Nationals’ White House visit was the latest stop on the team’s whirlwind victory tour around the nation’s capital after coming back from a 3-2 series deficit to beat the Houston Astros in Game 7 last week. The team paraded down Constitution Avenue on Saturday and celebrated at the Washington Capitals hockey game Sunday night.