David Price won't visit the White House with the Red Sox because 'it's baseball season'
Add one more name to the list of Boston Red Sox players who won’t be visiting the White House in May.
Red Sox starting pitcher David Price told reporter Jon Heyman on Thursday that he isn’t planning on attending the 2018 World Series celebration at the White House with his teammates. The reason? He’s got work to do.
World Series hero David Price told me he doesn’t plan to go to the White House when the champion Red Sox visit May 9. “It’s baseball season,” was all Price said about that. Previously, AL MVP Mookie Betts plus JBJ, Rafael Devers and Hector Velazquez also said they won’t be going.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 18, 2019
Price is the fifth member of the 2018 Red Sox who have declined the invitation to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Rafael Devers was the first to say he wouldn’t visit back in January, saying that his decision wasn’t political and that he preferred to focus on baseball.
American League MVP Mookie Betts and Gold Glove centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. were the next to say they wouldn’t go. Betts declined to explain why, while Bradley had to clarify that he wouldn’t be going regardless of who is president. Pitcher Hector Velasquez, who is from Mexico, said in early April that he wouldn’t attend due to Donald Trump’s previous comments about Mexico and Mexicans.
Manager Alex Cora, a Puerto Rican native, has yet to publicly reveal if he’ll attend. He was undecided back in January, citing both the shutdown and Trump’s treatment of Puerto Rico, which was ravaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
The Red Sox — minus those five players, and maybe more — will visit the White House on May 9. The visit was originally scheduled for Feb. 15, but was moved back due to the government shutdown.
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