Rep. McGarvey has plenty to celebrate in first Congressional Baseball Game

Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated ·2 min read
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Morgan McGarvey is relatively new to Congress, but the U.S. representative from Louisville is already sending a message in Washington, D.C. – don't give him anything easy over the plate.

McGarvey, the 43-year-old Democrat elected last November to replace John Yarmuth in the U.S. House of Representatives, had an impressive single in his lone at-bat and scored a run Wednesday night in The Congressional Baseball Game, an annual contest pitting red against blue on the diamond for one night each summer.

Donning a maroon Bellarmine jersey (he earned a law degree from the University of Kentucky, which is outside his congressional district), McGarvey came to the plate to lead off the fifth inning. He took a few pitches from Florida Republican Greg Steube before making contact on a line drive into left field − a single.

McGarvey earned praise from the broadcast crew: "That’s a solid swing right there from McGarvey," an announcer said, praising his hand-eye coordination. He had plenty to celebrate, cracking a smile and pointing toward the dugout after his hit.

He showed some speed to reach second base on a hit from California's Raul Ruiz before scoring on a double by Pennsylvania's Chris Deluzio.

U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, wearing a Bellarmine University jersey, celebrates his first hit in The Congressional Baseball Game held Wednesday, June 15, 2023, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The GOP team won the annual game, 16-5.
U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, wearing a Bellarmine University jersey, celebrates his first hit in The Congressional Baseball Game held Wednesday, June 15, 2023, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The GOP team won the annual game, 16-5.

The bad news? McGarvey's squad was already trailing 11-2 at the time and the Democrats would go on to lose 16-5 to the Republicans; the GOP's third consecutive win.

So if McGarvey doesn't last long in Congress, he might still have a future in the nation's capital – after all, at 26-40 on the year, the lowly Washington Nationals could probably use some of that power and speed in their lineup.

The full 2023 Congressional Baseball Game can be seen on C-SPAN's website. McGarvey's appearance at the plate takes place at about the 1:51 mark.

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Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: The Congressional Baseball Game: Morgan McGarvey has hit for Democrats