Watch Out Bosco – Alabama's Kinley Rasmus (aka Mo'ne Davis 2.0) Pitched a 6-Inning, 1-Hit Shutout in an Extra Inning Loss to Washington in the Little League World Series

First off, shoutout to Washington for the win. Winners go first in this blog. I can't praise the losing team without first giving credit to the winning one. Washington's pitcher, Frankie McCabe, didn't technically get the win, but threw 5 innings of shutout baseball in his own right. Washington surely doesn't win that game without him. Well done, Frankie.

But damn, Bosco... that was a close call, huh? You almost had another one. If you thought ESPN hyped up Mo'ne Davis to an insufferable degree in 2014, I'm not sure you would have survived 2026 ESPN's coverage of Kinley Rasmus had Alabama won that ball game. 

But credit to Rico Bosco. He calls it fair. He'll give a pitcher her flowers if she deserves it. And so far, Kinley Rasmus absolutely deserves it. 

Unfortunately for ESPN, Alabama did not win that game. They are now in the losers bracket. Kinley Rasmus threw over 66 pitches, meaning she'll need another 4 days of rest if she wants to see the mound again. And for that to happen, Alabama will need to win their next game. Which based on their performance today (outside of Kinley Rasmus on the mound), might be a tall order. 

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Honestly, that game was a bummer to watch. I was pulling for the girl. She did all she could. Kinley Rasmus, the only girl on the field, threw a 6-inning, 1-hit shutout. She tied Mo'ne Davis strike out record with 8 K's. She did everything a pitcher can possibly do to win a baseball game. She just couldn't get a single run of support. 

And in the top of the 7th inning, once Kinley Rasmus had left the game after reaching her pitch count limit, Washington pushed 2 runs across the board. Alabama couldn't answer. Kinley Rasmus had a chance at the plate too. With a runner on 2nd and two out. But she popped one up to the infield. My god had she hit a home run in that at bat, it would have been over. Kinley Rasmus would have locked up LLWS MVP before most teams had even touched the field.

But maybe I'm counting Alabama out too soon. Maybe their bats will wake up in a win-or-go home game on Saturday. If Alabama can win that game, Kinley Rasmus will get another shot. And THAT'S where she can really separate herself as the greatest girl pitcher, and maybe even one of the overall greatest pitchers in LLWS history. It's the second game in which Mo'ne Davis faltered, giving up 3 earned runs in 2.1 innings. The second game is where you get a chance to prove it… to Rico Bo$co.

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If Kinley Rasmus can do it again… well move over Ms. Davis. There's a new girl pitcher (and shortstop) in town.