United States President Donald Trump declined an invitation from the Washington Nationals to throw the ceremonial first pitch before the team’s Opening Day game against the Miami Marlins next Monday.
Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post confirmed the news. CBS Sports MLB reported the decision was due to a scheduling conflict.
Earlier Tuesday, Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and Daniel Lippman of Politico received confirmation from correspondent Luke Russert that Trump was “in talks” to take the mound and possibly spend an inning in the MASN announcing booth during the contest.
The tradition of American presidents throwing the first pitch dates back to William Howard Taft, who appeared at Griffith Stadium for the Washington Senators on Opening Day in 1910.
Various chief executives from both political parties have taken part in the act ever since, with perhaps the most famous instance coming from George W. Bush at the 2001 World Series in New York City following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.Â
Trump has met some resistance within baseball following his inauguration in January, though.
Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post passed along comments Baltimore Orioles executive vice president John Angelos—the son of team owner Peter Angelos—made about the president and the first pitch during an appearance on the B-More Opinionated podcast:  Â
Ultimately that decision is with the ownership group as to what major politicians and political figures and societal figures they want to invite. I know that the administration has taken a lot of criticism for its controversial positions; I think more so perhaps for statements made both during the campaign and since the administration came in concerning things that are considered to be problematic from a race, ethnicity, religious, gender, disability [standpoint]. People in those communities have been spoken about very negatively by a candidate and now president.
You’re asking my personal opinion; I think it’s really incumbent upon any individual who leads the country to step away from those types of statements, to apologize for those statements and retract them. And then to turn the page, and then to move forward in embracing their community, all parts of that community. Until that happens, it wouldn’t be my preference to have the president come throw a pitch. But that’s up to the ownership as to what they would like to do there.
Both the White House and the Nationals organization declined to comment on the situation, according to ESPN.com.
In February, Trump also decided not to fill out a March Madness basketball bracket with ESPN. Â Â Â Â Â Â