Houston Astros honored at the White House for World Series victory
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KTRK) -- The Houston Astros were in Washington, D.C. for the team's first-ever White House visit.
The team was invited to the White House to celebrate their World Series victory and took a day off from spring training to fly from Florida to Washington.
The Astros Twitter account shared photos of the players getting off the plane Monday morning all dressed up to meet President Trump.
President Trump commended the team for their unbreakable spirit playing the way they did after Hurricane Harvey.
Trump highlighted a few players from the team, including George Springer, Jose Altuve and Justin Verlander.
"This guy is a monster," Trump said when he mentioned he and Verlander played golf.
Coach A.J.Hinch joked before Josh Reddick gave Trump a gift from the team saying "If you follow our team, you may fear that we are going to present Mr. President with a speedo. But we are not."
Mattress Mack, Sen. John Cornyn, Rep. Kevin Brady, Sen. Ted Cruz were among some of the Texans who attended the ceremony.
Trump also recognized members of the Cajun Navy.
Veteran baseball player Carlos Beltran told reporters in February that he would not be joining the team. He said he was disappointed with relief efforts to his native Puerto Rico.
Carlos Correa and Ken Giles did not attend the ceremony due to a family obligation.
The New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Penguins and Clemson Tigers have all visited the White House in recent months to be congratulated by the president for their titles. The Golden State Warriors did not make the trip after being disinvited by President Trump. The president has been outspoken for weeks about his opposition to players kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustices.
ABC13 sports reporter David Nuno is in D.C. with the Astros. Follow his updates on Twitter and Facebook.
RELATED: The former Astros who won a World Series ring in 2017
