Thread by @nycsouthpaw

Fielding errors play an outsized role in the congressional baseball game.

Republicans, picking on a weak center fielder, erase the Democrats’ early lead with back-to-back inside the park home runs. They now lead 5-3 as the first inning comes to an end.

By a millimeter, we just missed the most epically symbolic play at the plate imaginable in a congressional baseball contest.

On a passed ball, the Democratic base runner went to slide into home, hesitated, tripped over his own foot, and overflew the plate entirely. He then barely beat the tag from the catcher sprinting back toward him.

Also Biden just showed up.

Speaker Pelosi, in the dugout, appears to be deep in a pretty intense phone call. Biden is signing autographs. 2nd inning ends with a collision at the plate, the Dems’ catcher holds onto the ball. Dems 4 - GOP 5

Republicans just threw at Ossoff’s head. It bounces off his helmet, doesn’t phase him. He takes first base, and almost immediately steals second.

Dems retake the lead on a two-run triple that Jimmy Panetta of the California 20th poked over the right fielder like a stealth helicopter into Abbottabad; then they tack on another run. 7-5 in the top of the 3rd, 1 out

Biden headed over to the Republican dugout and they seem to be talking to him.

The GOP pitcher, Greg Steubbe, who’s about 70 pitches in already, hit a home run like 400 feet out of the MLB ballpark—first time that’s happened in 40y, announcers say. 8-7 Dems

Kevin Brady, the craggy second baseman from the Texas 8th, fails to field an infield fly while absurdly attempting to make the shortstop responsible for it, allowing Tom Malinowski to score. After another run, 10-7 Dems in the top of the 4th, 2 out.

Fleischmann of the Tennessee 3rd was very nearly in trouble when he was hit by a batted ball while just scooching his hips out over the third base line into foul territory. The danger avoided, Republicans score two and we’re tied at 10-10 in the bottom of the 4th, 2 out.

Ossoff, a genuinely capable third baseman, makes a great throw to first to close out the inning with the score still tied.

Jimmy Panetta leads off the fifth inning with a solo inside the park home run. He’s hit two triples tonight as well. Also he was born on third base—Leon’s son.

So uh… Democrats had runners on second and third. The runner on second stole third, forcing the Democrat who was already there into a pickle between the third baseman and the catcher. Republicans got him out but the base stealer held onto third.

Ossoff comes in to pitch.

Game is tied, 11-11, in the 5th.

They loaded the bases for Panetta in the sixth inning. But he struck out for the first time. 13-11 Republicans

House Armed Services chair Adam Smith loses a short fly ball in the lights like a Nodong fired high off the Korean Peninsula, allowing a single in an otherwise strong half for Ossoff. It remains 13-11 Republicans heading into the 7th.

A bespectacled Dean Philips of Minnesota, pinch running for Adam Smith after a lead off single, takes advantage of a series of GOP throwing errors to round the bases. 13-12 Republicans

I pretty much just learned this is a 7 inning game. The Democrats put up a valiant effort but couldn’t catch up. It ends, 13-12 Republicans. A diverting contest between two very different, but quite evenly matched teams.

In the end, it worked out as @MEPFuller hoped. The losers will probably have to raise the debt ceiling.