The first pitch before the Washington Nationals’ game Thursday was a full circle moment for two Little League World Series opponents.
The pitcher: Mo’ne Davis, one of the biggest viral sensations in the tournament’s history. The catcher: Nationals outfielder Robert Hassell III, who faced Davis in 2014. And struck out against her. On his birthday.
There were no hard feelings.
To be fair to Hassell, he also got a hit off Davis when his Nashville team faced her Philadelphia team, but that was one of only two hits she allowed in an eight-strikeout shutout. That game made her the first female pitcher to earn a win in LLWS history.
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Hassell even pops up by name in the old “SportsCenter” highlight reel, complete with narration by Stuart Scott and a tweet from Kevin Durant.
Hassell was drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft six years later. He spoke about the experience earlier this year and remained impressed, noting he still follows her on Instagram:
“It was crazy. She struck me out, it was on my birthday. Then I got a base hit off her. But yeah, the whole crowd screaming her name, we’re really young, it was crazy, but it was really fun … She was really good.”
For her part, Davis remembered her coach pointing out Hassell as a dangerous hitter when asked about him Thursday:
“I remember before the game, going over the lineup with out coach, he’s like, ‘Yeah, so, they have this kid named Robert, we have to watch out for him. He’s a really good hitter, he might be their best hitter, so just be careful, he bats at the top of the lineup.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, OK.’
“He stands close to the plate, I was like, ‘Alright, I gotta really lock in here.’ I don’t want to hit him, get him on base, give them any type of momentum. I was really feeling everything that game. I ended up striking him out which was pretty cool, so I have bragging rights right now. He can’t get his redemption back from me.”
Now 24 years old, Davis was at Nationals Park in connection to the tryouts for the Women’s Pro Baseball League scheduled to take place at the same stadium next week. Since the 2014 LLWS, she has released a memoir, played softball at Hampton University and graduated from Columbia University with a master’s in sports management.
As for Hassell, his bat made him a top 100 prospect in the minor leagues. He was among the many young players the San Diego Padres sent to Washington in the blockbuster Juan Soto trade in 2022. He made his MLB debut this season and entered Thursday slashing .250/.264/.356 with two homers in 106 plate appearances.
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