Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is one of the veteran players on the roster who have endured many postseason disappointments over the years, so this past World Series win was huge for him and his career.
The team visited the White House on Monday to celebrate their accomplishment, but there was an awkward moment between him and President Donald Trump when Trump reached to shake Strasburg’s hand and he left him hanging.
It should be noted that Strasburg appeared not to notice Trump extending his hand as he turned away.
Although many Nationals players showed up for the event, some elected not to show their faces like Pitcher Sean Doolittle who was the first player to voice his displeasure about Trump.
“There’s a lot of things, policies that I disagree with, but at the end of the day, it has more to do with the divisive rhetoric and the enabling of conspiracy theories and widening the divide in this country,” Doolittle said, per The Washington Post. “At the end of the day, as much as I wanted to be there with my teammates and share that experience with my teammates, I can’t do it. I just can’t do it.”
“I want to show support for them. I think that’s an important part of allyship, and I don’t want to turn my back on them,” Doolittle continued. “I have a brother-in-law who has autism, and [Trump] is a guy that mocked a disabled reporter. How would I explain that to him that I hung out with somebody who mocked the way that he talked or the way that he moves his hands? I can’t get past that stuff.”
