On Thursday, July 23, 2026, President Donald Trump welcomed the 2025 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House's Rose Garden in Washington, D.C. During the event, Trump highlighted the remarkable accomplishments of Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

Trump lauded Ohtani for earning three consecutive unanimous league MVP awards, a feat unmatched in Major League Baseball history. "No player has ever earned more than one unanimous league MVP, except for an international legend named Shohei Ohtani," Trump said. He also compared Ohtani's two-way dominance as both a pitcher and hitter to baseball great Babe Ruth, stating, "If you would have told me you can be the best pitcher and the best hitter at the same time, you know, Babe Ruth was pretty close to that."

Ohtani's recent performance includes a franchise record 55 home runs in 2025 and a total of 99 home runs across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS during that span. After missing the 2024 pitching season due to elbow surgery, Ohtani returned in 2025 with a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, matching his 2022 American League-leading strikeout rate.

The Dodgers visited the White House during an off day on their East Coast road trip, where Trump presented a Dodgers jersey bearing his name and the number 47.

Sources