Biden is set to welcome the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers to the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Texas Rangers are heading to the White House on Thursday to meet President Joe Biden and celebrate their 2023 World Series victory, the first in the franchise’s history.

It’s a long-standing tradition for professional and collegiate championship teams to come to the White House and be recognized by the president. While it is the first such visit for the Rangers, it is the fourth for their manager, Bruce Bochy. He celebrated at the White House after winning titles with the San Francisco Giants in 2011, 2013 and 2015 — all while Barack Obama was president.

The Rangers clinched the World Series by defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 last November. The team lost at home to the Houston Astros on Wednesday and is set to fly to New York after the ceremony in Washington for a series against the Yankees.

The visit also means a rare public appearance by Biden since his July 21 announcement that he was dropping his bid for reelection and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket in November.