Reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts won't visit White House with Red Sox
When the Boston Red Sox go to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship, a key member of that team won’t be there.
Mookie Betts, the reigning American League MVP, told the Boston Globe on Saturday night that he’d decided not to attend.
“I won’t be going there,” Betts said. “I decided not to.”
Betts spoke to the press at the 96th annual New York Baseball Writers’ Association of America dinner, where he was accepting his AL MVP award. He didn’t elaborate on his reason for the decision, he just said he wouldn’t be going.
There will be other teammates missing from the visit beyond Betts. Third baseman Rafael Devers has already said he won’t be going to the White House, emphasizing that his decision wasn’t political. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts and pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez are both undecided. Manager Alex Cora is also undecided, though if he attends he’s said he’ll use his platform to argue for more help for his native Puerto Rico, which is still suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
The Red Sox were originally scheduled to visit the White House in February, but decided to have the visit rescheduled due to the government shutdown. The team is now going on May 9.
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