ABC News' Michael Conte reports:

They might not have been his preferred Sox, but President Obama today welcomed the 2013 World Series Champions Boston Red Sox to the White House.

"I don't recognize all these clean-shaven guys," Obama joked, as most of the team had shaved their iconic beards, although Jonny Gomes notably stood out in a stars-and-stripes blazer.

(Gomes later told reporters Obama "approved" of his blazer. "He made sure to tell me he liked it," he said. "I'm just a pretty patriotic person.")

During a ceremony on the White House South Lawn, Obama praised the team for their work with victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

"With every game they played, the Sons of Fenway never forgot what it meant to wear the Boston uniform," he said. "When they visited bombing victims in the hospital; when they played ball with kids getting cancer treatment; when they started a program to help wounded warriors get treatment at Mass General - these guys were saying, we're all on the same team."

World Series MVP hitter David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi," took a "selfie" with Obama after his remarks.

What an honor! Thanks for the #selfie, @BarackObama pic.twitter.com/y5Ww74sEID

- David Ortiz (@davidortiz) April 1, 2014

The Red Sox will be visiting wounded veterans at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center after their White House visit.

Asked by ABC News which team he expects to welcome to the White House next year, Obama plugged his hometown team.

"White Sox next year," he said as he walked to the Oval Office.

(Photo Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

(Photo Credit: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)