# Little girl pitches perfect game! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594 "2005-05-19T16:05:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/21 "2005-05-20T02:17:20Z")
> [@RandomLetters](#): > > A 5’8" tall \*\*11 \*\*year old girl? :eek: :eek: That’s taller than I, a 21 year old male, am! What the hell are they putting in the water up there? 😉 Yeah, if she were mail they’d be triple checking the birth certificates and doing a bone scan. My daughter’s soccer team played a team a couple of months ago with _several_ girls over five feet. This was under 9 girls. The first time we’d seen anyone that size, and they had at least three. A lot of injuries to our team that day. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/22 "2005-05-20T02:18:23Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Yeah, if she were mail :smack: I’m sure she spells better than I do as well. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/23 "2005-05-20T11:54:18Z")
> [@HelloKitty](#): > > Sigh. > > Why is it so “unexpected” and shocking that a GIRL can throw a baseball and do it well?? Why is it so “unexpected” and praiseworthy that someone whom early puberty has gifted an adult-sized body can blow away a team of 11-year-olds? …Purely in the interests of seeing both sides, y’understand. Personally I couldn’t pitch even to a team of 11-year-olds, even if you had a gun at my son’s forehead. Some of us are just born without a throwing arm. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/24 "2005-05-20T12:38:07Z")
I just heard something on CNN about her. She is also her teams best hitter with a, get this, .714 average. They also say that as a pitcher she has struck out every batter she has faced except one. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/25 "2005-05-20T23:38:16Z")
Back when I was an eight-year-old girl, we had no-hitters at virtually every game. The girls pitching were barely capable of throwing the ball far enough and straight enough to reach the strike zone, but most of the batters would swing _no matter what_. I can’t remember a run that was ever scored by something other than a series of walks that eventually forced someone across home plate. I only played one season, and I spent most of it in right field picking flowers. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/26 "2005-05-20T23:46:53Z")
> [@Mullinator](#): > > Well, the Cubs do have Neifi Perez under contract. Huh? Forgive me but I don’t get this. What did poor Neifi do? I thought he was filling in for No-maaah quite well. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/27 "2005-05-21T01:40:04Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > Huh? Forgive me but I don’t get this. What did poor Neifi do? I thought he was filling in for No-maaah quite well. To the shock of just about everybody. He’s a career .270/.302/.381 hitter. Basically, he’s got all the power of David Eckstein, but without the ability to get on base. ---
**Author:** ![JimSox5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@JimSox5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimSox5)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/28 "2005-05-21T04:17:20Z")
I saw the girl pitch on CNN this morning. I have to say, her form was pretty terrible (her short-arming made me cringe), and I really think that a lot of the players in my local little league could hit her, unless she had a lot more pop on the ball than what it looked like on TV. Either she wasn’t giving it hardly anything for CNN, the league she plays in is really bad, or she was having an especially good night. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/29 "2005-05-21T04:31:47Z")
> [@JimSox5](#): > > I saw the girl pitch on CNN this morning. I have to say, her form was pretty terrible (her short-arming made me cringe), and I really think that a lot of the players in my local little league could hit her, unless she had a lot more pop on the ball than what it looked like on TV. Either she wasn’t giving it hardly anything for CNN, the league she plays in is really bad, or she was having an especially good night. Hmm. So are you saying that this a was a set-up or a freak event? Well, it could be. But why did the other kids go along? Maybe she was just facing a paticularly poor team. ---
**Author:** ![JimSox5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@JimSox5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimSox5)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/30 "2005-05-21T04:37:41Z")
I didn’t mean to imply that it was a set-up. Mainly, I just wanted to say I was very unimpressed by what I saw. And yeah, I guess I did leave out that she faced a bad team, sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/31 "2005-05-21T11:48:30Z")
> [@JimSox5](#): > > I saw the girl pitch on CNN this morning. I have to say, her form was pretty terrible (her short-arming made me cringe), and I really think that a lot of the players in my local little league could hit her, unless she had a lot more pop on the ball than what it looked like on TV. Either she wasn’t giving it hardly anything for CNN, **the league she plays in is really bad, or she was having an especially good night**. I hate to say it, but I think that’s it. I’ve seen some games in that league first-hand. The kids aren’t that great. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/32 "2005-05-21T13:37:57Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Jays call first dibs! She’s even close to the farm team in Syracuse. She can’t be any worse than Scott Schoeneweis. Seriously, though, domination of an 11-year-old’s league means very little. Let’s all calm down just a little. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/33 "2005-05-21T14:20:28Z")
> [@JimSox5](#): > > I saw the girl pitch on CNN this morning. I have to say, her form was pretty terrible (her short-arming made me cringe), and I really think that a lot of the players in my local little league could hit her, unless she had a lot more pop on the ball than what it looked like on TV. Either she wasn’t giving it hardly anything for CNN, the league she plays in is really bad, or she was having an especially good night. I saw that too. Her short-arm style of delivery was something that was quite evident, and not something that one would associate with a dominant pitcher. It made me wonder what the competition looked like, was it a team of Timmy Lupus clones? But she very well may be the best pitcher in her league, and that’s is a good thing. And yet still, 18 up, 18 down, all K’s, that’s quite an accomplishment. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/34 "2005-05-21T17:45:36Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#): > > I’m sure sexism as well as available skillsets both play a role in this. But I think there’s another factor. > > In my opinion, there will never be a woman in Major League Baseball until everyone is ready to see one take a 100 MPH fastball to the head or a screaming liner to the face. Are you ready for that? I’m not. You know, I’m just as ready to see a woman get a fastball to the head as I am a man-which is preferably, not at all. I guess I don’t understand the whole ‘women are more fragile’ school of thought. I watched the Rolex a few weeks ago (horse eventing) and _Bam_ women were falling off in the X-country and getting back up just like the men. They were all fine. The spectators weren’t any more concerned when the women bit it over a jump than the men. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/35 "2005-05-21T17:53:43Z")
> [@imthjckaz](#): > > I saw that too. > > Her short-arm style of delivery was something that was quite evident, and not something that one would associate with a dominant pitcher. Sidney Ponson is a short-armer. While he’s no Clemens, he can definitely dominate from time to time. Others I’m sure, that I can’t think of. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/36 "2005-05-21T22:24:54Z")
> [@jlzania](#): > > You know, I’m just as ready to see a woman get a fastball to the head as I am a man-which is preferably, not at all. > I guess I don’t understand the whole ‘women are more fragile’ school of thought. > I watched the Rolex a few weeks ago (horse eventing) and _Bam_ women were falling off in the X-country and getting back up just like the men. > They were all fine. > The spectators weren’t any more concerned when the women bit it over a jump than the men. Really. After all, most women have a much higher threshold for pain than men. If a woman can go through childbirth, she can handle a fast ball to the fast, I’m sure! ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/37 "2005-05-21T22:37:41Z")
The last time I felt a gal’s fast, I got popped in the noggin, I tell ya !!! 😃 Seriously, that entire line of the thread is wrongminded. Nobody likes being injured in the head. Gender is irrelevant, a ball thrown 70mph will hurt badly just as a 100 mph ball will hurt badly. Precocious puberty is not the domain of this tale. Take a gander at some of the Little League World Series teams that have made their way to Williamsport, PA recently. Yes, you can have a team of kids all of whom are legally of age to play- and yes, you can build a team of incredibly post-pubescent boys/men whose muscle density, bone mass and overall physical prowess is not really what one expects from Little League. This young lady is 5 foot EIGHT INCHES??? I’d say she has gone through quite a bit of her puberty growth already, no? She’s a not a girl on a little league team, she’s a young woman throwing against boys. That said, it’s a heck of an accomplishment- because young boys who play baseball are just as likely to pop a single off of her as older young men who play baseball. She should be proud of her accomplishment, but as she grows older she may think more and more about who and what she was on the day she set that game. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/38 "2005-05-21T23:16:57Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > Well, for one thing it’s unexpected for ANYONE to throw a perfect game. It’s just the rarest of the rare baseball accomplishments. That is incorrect. The unassisted triple play is more rare. Haj ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/39 "2005-05-21T23:40:44Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > > [@nivlac](#): > > > > Well, for one thing it’s unexpected for ANYONE to throw a perfect game. It’s just the rarest of the rare baseball accomplishments. > > That is incorrect. The unassisted triple play is more rare. > > Haj That is incorrect. The Cubs winning a World Series is more rare. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594/40 "2005-05-22T01:31:15Z")
D’oh! That should read “face”, not “fast.” :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girl-pitches-perfect-game/304594.md?page=1)