Washington celebrates diplomacy — and baseball — at Meridian Ball

Ambassadors, lawmakers, and Washington’s movers and shakers came together to celebrate diplomacy — and check World Series scores — at the 51st annual Meridian Ball.

Hundreds of black-tie clad guests gathered at the gala at the Meridian House on Friday in Washington. The fete, which promotes global leadership, happened to coincide this year with the third game of the World Series — and several revelers were keen on keeping track of the score between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros.{mosads}

At an ultra-opulent pre-ball dinner at the Bahraini ambassador’s residence, Abdullah bin Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the ambassador of Bahrain to the United States, set up a lounge area for his guests to catch the baseball game, complete with a big-screen TV, couch and libations.

But, Al Khalifa admitted with a grin to his dinner crowd, “I’m more of a Red Sox fan,” after having gone to school in Boston.

Eyed at the Meridian Ball: the event’s congressional co-chairman Sen. Joe Manchin (R-W.V.); White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley attending the soiree sans socks; Fox News Channel’s Jesse Waters; former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.); White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham; CNN’s Jim Acosta hanging out by a packed dance floor before heading out as the “Cupid Shuffle” began blasting from the speakers; former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and his wife, Abby Blunt; Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.); Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and his wife making their way to the dance tent; Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.); and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).

With some of the ball partygoers pre-occupied with that other type of ball — one ballgown-sporting attendee was overheard whispering to a male companion, “I want to check on the Nats game,” — cheers could be heard from outside the gathering as the Nationals scored.

It wasn’t enough for the team to pull through with a win in the best-of-seven series, losing to the Astros, 4-1.