Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump saluted the World Series-winning Houston Astros during a White House ceremony on Monday, praising the team’s character in winning last year’s showpiece.
At a half-hour ceremony in the White House’s East Room, Trump saluted the Texas franchise for delivering a World Series after the city was battered by Hurricane Harvey.
The Astros won their first championship in franchise history with a thrilling 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-seven series.
“To all of the players and the management of the Houston Astros, I want to say thank for being true champions on and off the field,” Trump said.
“You really exemplify what greatness is all about. And it’s a credit to the players here today.
“After the devastating Hurricane Harvey, what you went through with Harvey, it was a befitting tribute, what was really a show of Houston Strong.”
Visits to the White House by championship-winning professional teams have become a tradition in recent decades.
However Trump’s election to the Oval Office has ushered in an era of antagonism, with several athletes from different sports saying they would not want to attend a reception hosted by the US leader.
Most notably, several members of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors last year signalled they would not attend a reception, prompting Trump to withdraw an invitation. The Warriors instead spent time with children from a Washington-area school instead.
Two prominent Astros players — Puerto Rican star Carlos Correa and pitcher Ken Giles — skipped Monday’s White House visit. Team officials told the Houston Chronicle their absence was due to a clash with family commitments.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch meanwhile emphasised that his team’s diversity was one of the foundations of its success.
“It’s the makeup of this team that so many people around Houston are proud of,” Hinch said. “Diversity — we come from everywhere, all shapes and sizes, all different countries, different backgrounds, high draft picks, low draft picks, non-draft picks.
“We added a few guys at the end that helped us. We really came together and were the true essence of a team.”
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