PRESENTING CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME TROPHY

On 2026-09-02, Representative Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA-38) delivered a floor speech titled "PRESENTING CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME TROPHY" in the House.

PRESENTING CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME TROPHY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 139 (Wednesday, September 2, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 2, 2026)] [House] [Page H5460] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PRESENTING CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME TROPHY (Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez), my friend and manager of the Democratic baseball team. Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Coach Roger Williams and the Republican team on their victory in the Congressional Baseball Game. It is well-deserved. I have to say I was very proud of how hard the Democrats worked this year. They spent the entire spring improving their batting, and it showed from the plate, even if it didn't show in the box score. Morgan McGarvey led and went 4 for 4, including a ground rule double that nearly cleared the fence. Dave Min added two RBI singles up the middle. Johnny O was hitting the ball well all night but got robbed by an absolutely outstanding catch from Senator Schmitt. Please don't let the other Chamber know I just congratulated a Senator. As proud as I am of this team, I am even more proud of what we all accomplished together, Democrats and Republicans alike. I have always said that two things that bring people together are sports and music. After playing in this game for nearly 20 years and coaching the Democratic team for the last 3, I believe that now more than ever. Despite our political differences, Republicans and Democrats came together to enjoy America's pastime, celebrate our Nation's 250th anniversary, and raise money for a good cause. Together, we raised more than $3 million for D.C.-based charities and scholarships for area students, and that is something we all can be proud of. Again, I congratulate Coach Williams and the entire Republican team. I am already looking forward to next year when Democrats have a chance to break your winning streak and reclaim that trophy. {time} 1640 Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the manager very much for those kind words. Mr. Speaker, on June 10, 2026, we had a game at Nationals Park. Nearly 40,000 people attended, breaking a record. As we have already heard, $3.2 million was raised for charity. We had co-MVPs for the Republican team. We didn't play that good, but we played good enough to win. I thank Greg Steube who pitched a full seven innings and in seven innings threw only 97 pitches. I also thank Senator Schmitt for making a catch that made ESPN's top 10 catches for that week. We are proud of that. We won seven in a row, and we plan on doing better next year. We have lost some players, and I thank Morgan Luttrell and Randy Feenstra for all the time that they have committed to the game. To recover from the loss of players, you have to go recruit players. We are trying to do that now so we can be competitive, Linda, when we play next year. That is what we want to do is be competitive. Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my players for their hard work. We had a good first workout today. It was not too cold. It was good. We played pretty good this morning. The game is great. Baseball is the greatest game there is. It is always there. We plan on being as good as we can play next year if we can get the right people, but it is an honor to represent the team that we have. It is an honor to take this trophy. For the seventh year in a row, Republicans have received this, so let's get the trophy. The Democrats have a good team. They are very competitive. May God bless everybody. See you next year. ____________________