Johnny Cueto expected to join Royals at the White House, was never invited

For the last several months, former Royals pitcher Johnny Cueto has been expecting a phone call he never got.

After Cueto pitched a one-run complete game in Game 2 of the World Series, the now-Giants pitcher was expecting a call telling him he could join the Royals at the White House. He never got that phone call, never got that invite.

“I believe that I earned it,” Cueto told the Mercury News on Saturday through an interpreter. “I did something for the team to win the World Series. So yes, I was expecting it.”

But while the Royals greeted President Barack Obama on Thursday, Cueto stayed with the Giants, who were also on an off-day on the east coast, between series against the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

Cueto was the second player to voice his disappointment in not getting invited to the White House after Jonny Gomes did the same last week. But while Gomes wasn’t on the playoff roster, Cueto was, and made four starts in the playoffs, two of them wins including that crucial Game 2.

The Royals say they stuck to a tight criteria when choosing players to go attend the White House ceremony. Players who attended had to be on the team all year, on the postseason roster, and not on another team now.

Cueto was outside two of those criteria. But so was Cheslor Cuthbert, who did fill in a bit for Mike Moustakas at third base through out the season and popped up on the roster in September, but was not on the team all year, and was never on the playoff roster.

“I feel OK, I feel normal,” Cueto said. “But I also feel it’s the organization’s responsibility to invite me. I did a job for them so I feel they should have had the courtesy to invite me.”

This story was originally published July 24, 2016 at 12:40 AM with the headline "Johnny Cueto expected to join Royals at the White House, was never invited."