Missouri Senator Shines as Republicans Defeat Democrats 11-2 in Annual Baseball Game

By Jacob Miklas and Kaleb Anderson, Missouri News Network

WASHINGTON—Under the bright lights of Nationals Park, the red-capped left fielder stretched his entire 6-foot-6-inch length to catch the ball, bouncing up with a bloody face.

It was just another congressional baseball classic for U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., whose MVP-winning performance led the Republicans’ 11-2 victory.

The game, played on Wednesday night before a crowd of thousands at the stadium that’s home to the Washington Nationals, extended the GOP’s winning streak to six. A tradition dating to 1909, the game raises money for a group of charities.

Missouri was represented this year by two Republican lawmakers: Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, whose southwest Missouri district includes Joplin, Springfield and Branson.

Schmitt was playing in his fourth congressional game and came to the park in a St. Louis Cardinals cap. He played varsity football and baseball at Truman State University.

“When we get out there, we’re raising money, but we want to win,” Schmitt said. “So it allows you to get your competitive juices flowing again, which is fun.”

Schmitt, 50, was the first Republican to reach base with a walk, followed by a stolen base and a run.

C-SPAN’s video of his diving catch made ESPN’s SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays the following day.

Despite his injury, the play did not take the senator out of the game. He recorded another walk and two singles before game’s end.

The game offers a rare glimpse of bipartisan sportsmanship in Washington’s increasingly tense political arena. One of the only other senators on either team was the Democrats’ relief pitcher, Alex Padilla. The liberal Californian is Schmitt’s ideological opposite on most issues, but the Missouri senator says their shared love of baseball has allowed them to cultivate a great working relationship and friendly rivalry.

Schmitt said Padilla beaned him two years ago. “I said, ‘What are you doing, brother?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, if I was trying to hit you, I would hit you on the first pitch.’ And I said, ‘Don’t worry, it didn’t hurt anyway.’ So there’s a lot of that kind of back and forth,” Schmitt said.

According to Schmitt’s X account, the event raised $3 million for charity and sold 35,000 tickets.