U.S. President Joe Biden holds up team a jersey given to him during a ceremony honoring the members of the 2020 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to spend at least a piece of their Fourth of July weekend at the White House, visiting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday to celebrate their 2020 World Series title.
Biden met with the team in private before the group gathered in the White House’s Palm Room. Biden and Dodgers’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw took turns speaking at the podium.
“I think we might be doing this again by the end of the year,” Biden said, while complimenting how the roster was built.
Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, admitted to nerves before he spoke.
“Last season was a special one for us, but it was also a challenging one for our country,” Kershaw said, alluding to the COVID-19 pandemic that reduced the 2020 regular season to 60 games. “Our hope is 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.”
The team then presented Biden and Harris with Dodgers jerseys. Biden’s jersey had a No. 46 as the 46th president, while Harris had a No. 49 as the 49th vice president.
The Dodgers are in the midst of a four-game road series against the Washington Nationals. They won the opener 6-2 in a rain-shortened five-inning game Thursday.