National's Park, site of tonight's game

Two Democrats representing the Best Baseball City in America will take the field themselves tonight for the annual bi-partisan Congressional baseball game.

St. Louis Congressmen Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay are on the blue team for tonight’s match-up at Nationals Park in D.C., home of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals.

Carnahan is listed on the game program as a utility player. According to Roll Call, which is sponsoring the game, he has been “mainly used in pinch-hitting and pinch-running roles” since first playing in 2005.

Clay, who scored a run in last year’s game, is listed at outfield and first base.

The pair will both wear custom Cardinals jersey with their name and district numbers on the back — which means that Clay, who represents the First Congressional District, will be doing his best Ozzie Smith impersonation.

Though Southern Illinois Republican John Shimkus has played previously, there are no other local reps on either squad. Southern Illinois Republican John Shimkus will once again pitch for the GOP. He’ll be joinged by Kansas City Republican Sam Graves, playing in the outfield.

Republicans, however, will be without one of the greatest Congressional ball players in the history of the game, a Capitol Hill tradition that traces back 100 years.

Former U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof was a two-time game MVP before leaving Congress for an unsuccessful bid to become governor of Missouri last year.

The consolation prize?

He’s this year’s inductee into Roll Call’s baseball Hall of Fame.