The Toronto Blue Jays came within one win of capturing another World Series championship, pushing the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the limit in a dramatic seven-game Fall Classic that drew attention well beyond long-time baseball fans.
Among those closely following every pitch was President Donald Trump, who welcomed the Dodgers to the White House on Thursday to celebrate their title. During the ceremony, Trump reflected on the series and revealed there was more at stake than simply watching one of baseball’s biggest events.
President Donald Trump Reveals Toronto Blue Jays Stake With Canada’s Prime Minister
Speaking during the White House celebration, Trump said he had discussed a wager with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney while following the championship series.
“That World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays proved to be among the most thrilling championships in the history of the sport,” Trump said while introducing the Dodgers, according to the Toronto Sun’s Denette Wilford. “I watched it because I was having a little bet with the prime minister of Canada, I had a little bet. I was not feeling so good for a little while. It wasn’t looking so good either.”
Trump did not detail the stakes of the bet, but acknowledged how close the Blue Jays were to upsetting that National League juggernaut.
“Trump didn’t get into specifics of the wager over the outcome of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays battle, but admitted Thursday that he wasn’t so sure during the series that went seven memorable games — and ended in heartbreak for Canada’s team — that he was going to win,” Wilford added.
For Blue Jays fans, the comments served as another reminder of how close Toronto came to ending the franchise’s championship drought before falling just short in Game 7.
Los Angeles Dodgers Honored At White House After Toronto Blue Jays Defeat
Trump’s remarks came during the Dodgers’ championship celebration, where he praised the organization and several of its biggest stars.
“President Donald Trump feted Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at the White House on Thursday, calling the team ‘one of the great brands anywhere in the world’ during a Rose Garden event celebrating its second title in as many years,” PBS News reported.
The event recognized a Dodgers club that successfully defended its championship while surviving one of the toughest postseason tests in recent memory. Toronto’s push to seven games not only created one of the most memorable World Series in recent years, but apparently also turned a friendly international wager into an anxious experience for the president.