Republicans\u2019 uniforms were a bit more conspicuous.<\/p>\n
While the Democrats\u2019 mismatched jerseys reflected each player\u2019s individual tastes, the GOP players arrived in matching bright-red jerseys with \u201cUSA\u201d across the front.
As if there was any doubt about their political loyalty, the Republicans\u2019 wore red caps with \u201cMAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN\u201d in white lettering.<\/p>\n
The garb gave President Donald Trump a presence at the ballpark even if the 45th and 47th president was not actually there. Some presidents have showed up in the past, including Democratic President Joe Biden, Trump\u2019s predecessor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coach makes the decision on the uniforms,\u201d said Republican Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, referring to GOP coach Roger Williams. \u201cYou know, I think the president liked it,\u201d Clyde said.<\/p>\n
Clyde was holding out before the game that Trump might attend. \u201cI don\u2019t know the president\u2019s schedule but it would rock the house, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d he said. But Trump didn\u2019t show up, instead attending a performance of \u201cLes Miserables\u201d at the Kennedy Center.<\/p>\n
Democrats, who feel like underdogs politically after losing the White House to Trump in 2024, were clearly not the favorites on the baseball field either.<\/p>\n
Republicans, who had a much larger roster, entered the evening having won the previous four contests, including a 31-11 victory last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here to win,\u201d Olszewski said before the game started. \u201cI\u2019m also cognizant that this is for charity. And that we can and should be bipartisan whenever we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former Baltimore County executive, who played competitively in his teen years, is a rare player who throws righthanded and bats lefthanded. He knocked in a run in the third inning.<\/p>\n
Olszewski, a freshman congressman, had a small rooting section in the stands of friends and family, including his wife Marisa and 9-year-old daughter. Some wore orange T-shirts with \u201cCrush one over the fences\u201d written on the back. The\u00a0 \u201cO\u201d in \u201cover\u201d was in Orioles script.<\/p>\n
![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/TBS-L-CONGBASE-P1.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1\")
U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) pitches during the annual Congressional baseball game at Nationals Park on June 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. The annual game that began in 1901, features Republican congressional members vs Democratic congressional members and raises money for charity. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The game, which originated in 1909, annually bills itself as an opportunity to display patriotic togetherness even in eras \u2014 like the current one \u2014 of extreme partisanship. The contest, which raises millions for charity, was heavily attended by enthusiastic congressional staff and lobbyists.<\/p>\n
Others on this year\u2019s Democratic team included California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who is a University of Maryland graduate, Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the House Democratic Caucus chair. The Republican team included Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst.<\/p>\n
As players came to the plate, they were introduced not only by their names but their states and congressional district numbers.<\/p>\n
Olszewski and the other players took the game seriously. Each side began practices in early March. The Democrats practiced at 6:45 in the morning at Gallaudet University, near the Capitol.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long drive from Baltimore early in the morning. It\u2019s one way to beat traffic though,\u201d Olszewski said.<\/p>\n
Said Donny Watson, a Republican coach, of his team\u2019s practices: \u201cThey get there by 5:45 and leave around 7:30 so they can go get on TV.\u201d<\/p>\n
Have a news tip? Contact Jeff Barker at jebarker@baltsun.com<\/p>\n
Originally Published: June 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON \u2014 Maryland Rep. Johnny Olszewski Jr., and his Democratic teammates arrived for the annual Democrats vs. Republicans…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97203,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2290],"tags":[5,853,4771,169,1239,1914,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-97202","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baseball","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-latest-headlines","10":"tag-maryland","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-politics","13":"tag-social","14":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}