Roll Call: Partisanship Shut Out at Congressional Baseball Game

June 16, 2017

Roll Call: Partisanship Shut Out at Congressional Baseball Game

BY Rollcall Staff

Updated June 19, 2017, 1:58 p.m. | The final moments of the 56th annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park on Thursday perfectly demonstrated the event’s purpose — finding unity amid heated competition.

Though the Democrats overwhelmingly beat the Republicans 11-2, that final score was eclipsed during the trophy presentation at the end of the night.

The Democrats’ team manager Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania handed the coveted Roll Call Trophy over to GOP manager Joe L. Barton of Texas to honor House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who missed the game after he was shot in the hip by a gunman who targeted the Republican team at a practice in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday. …

Freshman Rep. Nanette Barragán, a California Democrat, said Doyle didn’t ask for the team’s consent to hand over the trophy until later in the game when he was more certain of the outcome. “We didn’t want to jump the gun. Coach is very superstitious, didn’t want to take anything for granted,” Barragán said. …

At this point in the fifth, Doyle added some crowd-pleasing flavor into the mix, sending the game’s only two female players to bat; Reps. Linda T. Sánchez of California — a Democratic stalwart — and Barragán. Sanchez walked and later scored a run while Barragán singled and also scored.

“That was pretty neat,” Barragán said after the game. “I can’t wait to get back home and tell my mom about it, who will be so proud.” READ MORE