Archive
SUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTERS
ADVERTISE| CLASSIFIEDS| JOBS| E-TRIB
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS NETWORK NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS NETWORK
Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source
Pirates' Joe Musgrove's White House visit brings back good memories | TribLIVE.com
Pirates/MLB

Pirates' Joe Musgrove's White House visit brings back good memories

Jerry DiPaola
Jerry DiPaola
GTRBucs02030818
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove throws during a workout Wednesday, March 7, 2018, at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.
931013464
Getty Images
President Donald Trump congratulates the Houston Astros while celebrating the team's World Series victory in the East Room of the White House March 12, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Trump talked about Hurricane Harvey and the city and the team's resilience in the face of the storm. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

BRADENTON, Fla. -- When Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove visited the White House as a World Series winner with his former Houston Astros teammates, he wasn't sure about the greeting they'd receive at the Oval Office.

"I thought we were going to kind of peek our head in, but (President Donald Trump) actually let us come in and made us feel really comfortable," Musgrove said of the visit that occurred Monday.

"Donald did a really good job making us feel welcome, taking his time with us and not rushing us in and out.

"We got to go in the Oval Office and hang out for about 10 minutes in there. He took pictures with everybody, joked around, laughing with us. It was a good environment."

45

A post shared by Joe Musgrove (@mu59rove) on Mar 12, 2018 at 2:59pm PDT

Musgrove, who was the winning pitcher in Game 5 of the World Series, said Trump appeared to be a big baseball fan.

"He even called one of the Yankees owners and was giving him a hard time about us taking him out last year (in the NLCS)," Musgrove said.

The Astros were given a tour of the White House, and he got a sense of history, seeing flags from every branch of the military and banners from wars in which they fought.

"We were looking for trap doors in every room," he said, "pulling on books and candlesticks." (For the record, they found none.)

The visit was also one last bonding experience for Musgrove with his former teammates.

"Im really glad I went. It's something I'll always remember, getting to stand up on the riser and have the president speak so highly of us brought back a lot of memories," he said.

But he admitted (now that he's with the Pirates), "It was tough to stand up there and listen to them talk about how they're planning on winning it again when I'm leaving.

"But I enjoyed my time there and I was really grateful to be able to win a World Series when I was with them and learn from some of the guys that are there."

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.