Dodgers Visit White House, Meet President Biden, VP Harris
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles Dodgers Friday became the first professional team to visit the White House as champions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They were also the first team to visit with President Joe Biden in office. The team met with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the East Room. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti was also in attendance.
PHOTOS: Dodgers Visit White House
Biden predicted that the Dodgers may be back to the White House again soon.
"I have a feeling, Kamala, that we may be doing this again by the end of the year," Biden said. "I don't know, man. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle Garcetti if you win twice. It's gonna be hard."
Due to COVID-19 protocols, the group was limited to around 50 people.
The Dodgers also presented both Biden and Harris honorary jerseys. Biden received No. 45, as he is the 45th president of the United States, while Harris received No. 49, because she is the 49th vice president.
"This is a world championship organization because they've got a team full of guys who stepped up when they were called upon," Biden said.
Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw also spoke at the ceremony.
"Last season was a special one for us, but it was also a challenging one for our country," Kershaw said. "And our hope was that we were able to provide just a little bit of joy and comfort and relief to our fans who were going through some tough times."
A White House official confirmed to Axios that pitcher Trevor Bauer, who is facing an assault investigation in Pasadena, did not join his team. Within a few hours of the ceremony, Major League Baseball announced that Bauer had been placed on a seven-day administrative leave.
The Dodgers are facing the Washington Nationals in a four-game series that began Thursday and runs through Sunday.
The visit marks the Dodgers' first trip to the White House as World Series champions since Oct. 26, 1988, when the team met with then-President Ronald Reagan.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
