WASHINGTON -- The Dodgers celebrated their 2024 World Series championship with a visit to the White House on Monday morning, marking the second time in the past five seasons that the club has been honored in the nation's capital.
If all goes according to plan, Los Angeles won't have to wait that long to be back again. No team has repeated as World Series champions since the 2000 Yankees completed a three-peat, but the Dodgers have not been shy about their intention to defend their title.
"After seeing how successful you've begun this season, I can tell you that you can plan on being back here," President Donald Trump said, addressing a jam-packed East Room with the Commissioner's Trophy to his right. "I hope you're going to be back here next year."
Longest tenured Dodger and likely future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw spoke on behalf of the team, presenting Trump with a No. 47 Dodgers jersey and commending the effort his team went through to bring home the eighth championship in franchise history last year.
"The selflessness and humility that each one of these players and staff have shown over the last year is truly an inspiration," Kershaw said. "They have constantly played hurt, switched positions and taken the ball to put the team first. As a spectator for our championship run last year, I was in awe of this group."
Several Dodgers who had not been traveling with the team while rehabbing from injuries joined their fellow returning players and staff from 2024 in Monday's celebration, which included a tour of the Oval Office.
Mookie Betts, who did not go when the Red Sox were invited to celebrate their 2018 title, decided he would this time around, saying that he wanted to be there to support his teammates, who had been behind him as he flipped the narrative around his performance in the postseason from 2023 to '24.
Manager Dave Roberts, too, had indicated previously that he might not participate in a White House visit during a Trump Administration, but he had decided early on that he would be there for this visit.
"We all as an organization decided that we were going to go," Roberts said. "So I¡¯m in support of that. And it¡¯s more on the heels of acknowledging our 2024 championship team. That¡¯s something that I¡¯m proud of, and I¡¯m going to be there with our players, coaches, ownership, front office, and we¡¯re looking forward to celebrating our championship team.¡±
Trump recounted the highlights from the Dodgers' magical season in his address in front of the team, from Shohei Ohtani's one-of-a-kind 50-50 campaign to a rundown of the key moments of the team's run to the title, lauding postseason heroes such as Betts, Freddie Freeman, Tommy Edman, Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez and Blake Treinen.
But the president also acknowledged the injury-related adversity the Dodgers faced along the way, particularly the 38 pitchers -- plus two position players, Hern¨¢ndez and Miguel Rojas -- the team needed to make it through the season.
Kershaw was among those injured pitchers who weren't available during the postseason run, and he was thrilled to have the chance to praise his teammates as they took in the honor of being at the White House together.
"I know none of them would say this about themselves," Kershaw said. "Moving forward, I hope the 2024 Dodgers can serve as an inspiration to many like they were to me -- not just in sports but in life, remembering to put others before ourselves. It moves a team and a society forward."