WASHINGTON -- Both this year and last, the Dodgers have carved out time in their schedule to pay a visit to the White House to celebrate winning a championship. They're hoping that when all is said and done this season, they might receive an invitation next year, too.
“We did something that hasn’t been done in [25] years, going back-to-back [as] World Series champions,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And we are going for a three-peat.”
Said owner and chairman Mark Walter: "We're proud of that [2025] team and what it has achieved, and we hope to be back here again next year."
The back-to-back champion Dodgers were honored at the White House on Thursday, their lone team off-day in the middle of an East Coast swing with series against the Yankees, Phillies and Mets. The team was received by U.S. President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden, where the 2024 and ’25 World Series trophies were proudly displayed.
It marked the third visit to the nation’s capital in six years for the Dodgers, who toured the Oval Office and received commemorative Trump challenge coins after the ceremony took place. Trump received a personalized World Series ring and a No. 47 Dodgers jersey with his name on it from the team.
The legendary Clayton Kershaw, who retired after last year’s championship run but is still with the Dodgers as a special assistant, flew into D.C. to celebrate alongside his former teammates and coaches. Kershaw made his final career appearance in Game 3 of the World Series, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the 12th inning. It was a storybook ending to a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
“You could pitch right now if they needed you, right?” Trump asked Kershaw, who replied in the negative.
“And he’s smart,” Trump added.
During his prepared remarks, Trump recapped the Dodgers’ run to back-to-back championships and acknowledged the many heroes along the way. He lauded Max Muncy for becoming the franchise leader in postseason home runs, then highlighted Shohei Ohtani’s masterful two-way performance in Game 4 of the NLCS.
“I said to myself, ‘That’s the greatest game ever played by one person,’ because you did the pitching and the hitting,” Trump said. “And he’s not finished yet.”
Trump moved on to the World Series against the Blue Jays. He commended Will Klein, the last reliever standing in Game 3 who pitched the final four innings of the six-hour marathon contest. He praised Freddie Freeman, who ended that game with a walk-off homer in the 18th inning.
Several of the heroes from the winner-take-all Game 7 also got a shoutout: Miguel Rojas, who tied the contest with a home run in the ninth inning; Andy Pages, who came off the bench for an incredible catch to send it to extras; and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who closed out the victory on zero days’ rest to earn series MVP honors.
If the Dodgers are able to three-peat, they would become the first team to win three consecutive World Series since the 1998-2000 Yankees.
"I was there for a lot of those games with [late Yankees owner] George Steinbrenner. He was a friend of mine, and he liked winning. He would do anything to win," Trump said. "But you're doing the same thing. It's amazing."
The Dodgers did not rest on their laurels after winning back-to-back championships, signing two of the biggest free agents this past offseason -- closer Edwin Díaz and right fielder Kyle Tucker -- to bolster their bid for a three-peat.
Having the resources to make moves like that has been a big part of L.A.'s recent success, but it isn't everything. The Dodgers pride themselves on their winning culture above all else, and the buy-in they receive from every player on their roster is a big part of why they believe they are positioned well to make it three in a row this year.
"I hope when you watch our guys play, you can be proud and say, 'These guys do things the right way,'" Roberts said. "Their names are everywhere on social media, in the news. But when it comes to winning 11 games in October, or 13 last year, these guys all come together unselfishly.
"You never know what moment is going to present itself, but we have all these guys here that are ready when called upon."