The Congressional Baseball Game is a century-old tradition that has Republican and Democratic lawmakers to settle their differences on the baseball diamond — while raising money for charity.
The annual game has been played for decades in the greater Washington, D.C., area, serving as a summer reprieve from partisan fighting in the halls of Congress — in exchange for partisan fighting on the field. Here is everything to know about the 2024 game.
The Congressional Baseball Game will be played at Nationals Park, home of the MLB’s Washington Nationals, in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. — less than two miles away from the U.S. Capitol Building. The ballgame is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. EDT.
It will be televised by both C-SPAN and FS1. The Fox Sports broadcast will feature Washington Capitals radio announcer John Walton doing play-by-play and Fox News congressional reporter Chad Pergram as color commentator. C-SPAN, which airs congressional hearings and other political events daily, will provide a livestream online in addition to airing the program on its cable channel.
While known more for their legislating — and cable news appearances — than their baseball skills, both the Democratic and Republican teams have notable players competing on Wednesday night.
Pitcher Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) is a player to watch as he takes to the mound after a successful outing in 2023. During the 2023 game, he hit a ground rule double and hit a home run in the 2021 contest. The other active players to have hit a home run in a previous edition include Reps. Blake Moore (R-UT) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). Panetta all-time has 12 RBI in his previous six outings on the Congressional baseball diamond, making him a player to watch on the Democratic side.
Another player to watch is House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who has become a mainstay of the game and survived a shooting during a GOP baseball practice before the 2017 game.
The game has been played off-and-on since 1909, with Republicans leading the overall series 45-22-1. The GOP is currently on a three-game winning streak, having defeated the Democrats in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Prior to the current streak, Democrats won 10 out of the 11 games between 2009 and 2019 — with the 2020 game being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During the 2023 game, Republicans trounced the Democrats 16-6.
The rosters for the 2024 game are filled mostly with players on the 2023 teams, but for the GOP, Reps. Erin Houchin (R-IN) and Barry Moore (R-AL) join the team, while Democrats have several new players this year.
Reps. Gabe Amo (D-RI), Nanette Barragan (D-CA), Greg Casar (D-TX), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Tim Kennedy (D-NY), Joe Morelle (D-NY), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Pat Ryan (D-NY), and Tom Suozzi (D-NY), along with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), join the Democratic roster for the 2024 contest.
Like the races for the House of Representatives and Senate in November, the 2024 Congressional baseball game is a toss-up. While Republicans are currently on a hot streak, the reshuffled Democratic roster could make waves against the Grand Old Party.
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The real winner of the game — regardless of party — will be the charities the annual bipartisan tradition helps raise money for.
Proceeds from the game, which attracts tens of thousands of sports and Congress fans, benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the Washington Literacy Center, the Washington Nationals Philanthropies, and the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.