Ohtani visits Oval Office as Trump hails him as 'comparable to Babe Ruth'

President Donald Trump praised Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, comparing him to baseball legend Babe Ruth, during a White House ceremony honoring the World Series champions.

At the celebration held Thursday in the White House Rose Garden, Trump said the 2025 Dodgers season was "a record-breaking season in the 150-year history of Major League Baseball," adding that "no player other than world legend Shohei Ohtani has ever won the league's Most Valuable Player award unanimously more than once."

"Ohtani is incredible. Everybody loves him," Trump said. "Last year he did something that was previously unthinkable. Nobody thought it was possible."

Trump went on to say that Ohtani "hit 55 home runs and won the MVP unanimously three consecutive times," drawing a comparison to Babe Ruth — whom he described as both the greatest pitcher and the greatest hitter in American baseball history — as the only player worthy of comparison.

Ohtani and his teammates also visited the Oval Office, where they presented Trump with a replica championship ring and a jersey bearing the number 47. Trump gave the players a special presidential commemorative coin in return.

The White House has a long tradition of inviting the previous year's champions in baseball, basketball and football to celebrate their titles.

The tradition of World Series champions visiting the White House dates to 1869, when President Ulysses S. Grant invited the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team.

The Dodgers won the World Series in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, making this their second consecutive White House visit.