Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki took some heat after he wore a “Make America Great Again” hat when he was at the White House celebrating the team’s World Series‘ victory earlier this week. And while most think Suzuki was making a political statement, he said he was doing the complete opposite of that. USA Today was able to contact the veteran catcher, who said he was just “having some fun” since he was at the White House and meeting President Donald Trump.
“It was amazing. That was the president. Just trying to have some fun,” Suzuki told USA TODAY in a text message after the team’s visit on Monday. “Everybody makes everything political. It was about our team winning the World Series,” Suzuki added in another text.
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When Trump noticed Suzuki wearing the MAGA hat, he gave him a hug and the video of it went viral. But Suzuki wasn’t the only Nationals player to “show their support” for Trump. A No. 45 Nationals Jersey was presented to Trump by first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and he thanked Trump for what he’s done for the country.
“This is an incredible honor I’d like to think none of us will ever forget,” Zimmerman said. “We’d also like to thank for keeping everyone here safe in our country and continuing to make America the greatest country to live in the world.”
The majority of Nationals players and staff members made the trip to the White House for the celebration. But one player – pitcher Sean Doolittle – made it clear he was not visiting Trump and he explained why.
“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.”
The Nationals defeated the Houston Astros in seven games to claim their first World Series title in franchise history. They started the season with a 19-31 record, but the team got a roll during the second half of the season to win 93 games and make a run to a championship.
