What is the Congressional Baseball Game? After Alexandria Shooting, a Look at the Charity Matchup
A congressional baseball practice session was attacked Wednesday morning by a gunman in Alexandria, Virginia, leaving at least one politician—Representative Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican—wounded and his colleagues shaken.
As the news of the attack unfolded, members of the team including Senators Jeff Flake and Rand Paul and Representative Mo Brooks fanned out to give interviews to the media. They were all on scene when the suspect opened fire at the early-morning practice, hitting not only Scalise but also two law enforcement officers and an aide,The New York Times reported.
Related: Republican Steve Scalise shot at Alexandria baseball practice
While the lawmakers' names may be well-known, the reason they were all together so early on Wednesday might not be. They were practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game, a charity match scheduled for Thursday at Nationals Park.
The Congressional Baseball Game is a tradition dating back to 1909, one in which "Senate and House members of each party team up to settle scores and solidify friendships off the floor and on the field," according to the MLB website. At $15 (or less) a ticket, the game doubles as a fundraiser for local nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation.
This year's game was set to honor the victims of the recent terror attacks in London and Manchester, England. British Ambassador Nigel Kim Darroch was scheduled to throw out the first pitch, according to the event Facebook page.
This year's GOP roster was to include Scalise, Brooks, Flake, Paul, Joe Barton, Jack Bergman, Mike Bishop, Kevin Brady, Mike Conaway, Ryan Costello, Rodney Davis, Ron Desantis, Jeff Duncan, Chuck Fleischmann, Matt Gaetz, Bill Johnson, Trent Kelly, Darren LaHood, Doug LaMalfa, Barry Loudermilk, Roger Marshall, Pat Meehan, John Moolenaar, Steve Palazzo, Gary Palmer, Erik Paulsen, Steve Pearce, Thomas Rooney, Dennis Ross, John Shimkus, Mark Walker, Brad Wenstrup, Roger Williams and Kevin Yoder.
They were set to face off against Democrats including Chris Murphy, Ed Perlmutter and Hakeem Jeffries.
“Who would want to kill people trying to do something good?” @RandPaul asks about the charity goal of the baseball game.
— Eliza Collins (@elizacollins1) June 14, 2017
It was not immediately clear which lawmakers were present at the shooting on Wednesday.
Last year, the Republican team notched its first win in seven years, an 8-7 triumph over the Democrats. After a game that included fan cheers like "MAR-CO RUB-IO," Texas Republican Brooks told Roll Call that victory was sweet—or, at least, it "feels a lot better than losing."
