Following their improbable run in the playoffs, and even more amazing World Series victory in which they won all four of their games on the road against the Houston Astros, the Washington Nationals are capping off their championship celebrations Saturday with a World Series victory parade through the streets of D.C.
Thousands are expected to line the National Mall to party with World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, young star Juan Soto, and, among other stars, veteran ace Max Scherzer.
The Nationals parade begins at 2 p.m. EST Saturday and starts near the Washington Monument before making its planned two-hour trip along the Mall before ending at Pennsylvania Avenue and Third Street.
There, the players and other members of the organization will address the crowd.
Following Saturday’s celebrations, the team will make the quick jaunt to the White House Monday for a ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump.
It’s customary for the sitting president to host champions of various sports leagues but with the Trump administration, the event has turned into a political litmus test for teams and players. One prominent Nationals player, All-Star pitcher Sean Doolittle, is declining the honor.
Doolittle, according to the Washington Post, said he “just couldn’t do it.”
"People say you should go because it's about respecting the office of the president," Doolittle said, according to the Post. "And I think over the course of his time in office [Trump's] done a lot of things that maybe don't respect the office."
Since Trump has taken office, the Golden State Warriors have declined to visit the White House, and members of the Philadelphia Eagles were uninvited to their championship ceremony.