It might be raining, and it might have been raining for most of the day, but the GAME IS A GO for tonight!

This might be my favorite event of the entire year. Since I moved here in late 2020, there have been 5 games and every single one has been fantastic. After years of the Democrats really running the game the last 5 years have been a massive switch.

The 2021 game marked the start of the current Republican win streak, which is going strong. It was also the first game that Representative Steve Scalise played in since he and several others were shot while practicing in 2017. Some of the scores that come from this game are honestly just comical in 2024 Republicans won..... 31 to 11.... Even with Little League Baseball, when does one team honestly score 31 runs in a game?

It is very entertaining to watch Members get super competitive and my oh my do they actually sometimes get hurt pretty bad! A couple of years ago, one Republican Member ended up tearing something in his leg and he was on crutches for weeks.

What is going to make it super, super interesting is that next year, Mark Teixeira will be joining the Republican team (given he doesn't have some wild out of left field election loss), adding a bona fide power hitter to the lineup. That isn't to say that Republicans are lacking, either, as Rep. Greg Steube became just one of two Members to ever hit a home run that left the ballpark.

Members do play with metal bats, which makes Teixiera's case a little more concerning.... A former MLBer is going to be well... armed with a metal bat.....

A Hill article earlier today discussed him playing and how he might end up using a wooden bat or even face certain restrictions so he does not hurt anyone.

Teixeira’s impending presence is looming large for both parties.

When asked what Democrats need to do to knock off the GOP this year, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) quipped, “We need to draft a major league baseball player to come and play for us.”

“We’re just going to walk him every time we have an opportunity,” Gallego said of Teixeira as he carried his baseball glove through the Senate basement, his young son following close behind with his own hit mitt.

Teixeira, in an interview with The Hill, said he hasn’t played baseball in almost 10 years and will probably have “some rust to knock off,” should voters send him to Washington and he suits up for Republicans.

“I’m definitely going to use this as an opportunity … you have 435 members in the House and another 100 senators, so you’re just not going to get a lot of one-on-one time. This is an opportunity to be in a team situation, have fun, get to know guys and hopefully beat the Democrats,” Teixeira said.

When it’s his turn to play, Teixeira said he is “fully expecting to have rules that limit my ability to hurt anybody.”

Teams use aluminum bats in the congressional game, something that has left some members wondering whether their health could be in jeopardy playing against Teixeira.

“If I have to use a wooden bat, I’m fine with that,” he laughed. “I’ll be at the game on Wednesday, but my biggest message to all of them is don’t get hurt. Those guys are getting a little bit older, and our bodies don’t work like they used to. Just be careful. We need you all on the Hill and not in the hospital.”