Episode 5 · Mo'ne Davis, age 13 — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Kid Who Threw Like a Girl
She walked to the mound with millions of people watching. No girl had ever done what she was about to do next.
18 min listen · ages 8-10
The Kid Who Threw Like a Girl
Summary
In August 2014, thirteen-year-old Mo'ne Davis pitched a shutout in the Little League World Series — the first girl in history to do it. Two weeks later she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She hadn't finished eighth grade yet.
The Story
Mo'ne Davis was seven years old, throwing a football in a Philadelphia park, when a coach named Alex Rice walked past and stopped. The way she threw didn't look like a seven-year-old throwing. He asked if she wanted to try baseball.
She had never thrown a baseball before. She joined the Anderson Monarchs anyway — and learned fast.
By thirteen she was pitching for Taney Little League, and Taney was doing something a Philadelphia team wasn't supposed to do: winning its way through regionals all the way to Williamsport, the Little League World Series.
On August 15, 2014, she took the mound against Nashville with a 70 mph fastball and a whole country watching. She later admitted she was nervous. It didn't show. She threw a complete-game shutout — the first girl in the history of the tournament to do it.
Two weeks later she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Major League players posted about her. She was named Sports Illustrated Kids' SportsKid of the Year.
But the part that matters most came later. Mo'ne refused to let thirteen be the best year of her life. She played basketball at Hampton, studied at Columbia, interned with the Los Angeles Dodgers — and when the Women's Pro Baseball League launched, she tried out, and was drafted. Baseball, she says, was always her first love.
Timeline
Age 7
Coach Alex Rice spots her throwing a football in a Philadelphia park.
Soon after
Joins the Anderson Monarchs, having never thrown a baseball before.
Summer 2014
Taney Little League wins its way through regionals to Williamsport.
Aug 15, 2014
Throws a complete-game shutout against Nashville — a first for any girl.
Aug 2014
Appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Dec 2014
Named Sports Illustrated Kids SportsKid of the Year.
2023–2025
Interns with the Dodgers, then is drafted into the new Women's Pro Baseball League.
Key Takeaways
- ✓You can be brand new at something and still be great at it — she'd never thrown a baseball before she started.
- ✓Being nervous isn't the opposite of being brave. She was both, on the same mound.
- ✓One enormous year doesn't have to be your best year. Mo'ne decided thirteen wasn't her peak.
Fun Facts
Photos & Field Notes
Sources
ESPN / espnW — "A Stunning Run: How Mo'ne Davis and Taney Little League Got To Williamsport" (Aug 14, 2014)
Primary source: her discovery by Coach Alex Rice in 2008, the Anderson Monarchs years, Taney's run to Williamsport, and firsthand accounts from Mo'ne, her family and coaches.
Associated Press — "Mo'ne Davis Throws Shutout in Little League World Series" (Aug 15, 2014)
Official game coverage of the shutout over Nashville: box score, postgame quotes and crowd reaction.
ABC News — "Mo'ne Davis Makes Little League World Series History" (Aug 15, 2014)
The 70 mph fastball, her own comments about being nervous, and the national attention that followed.
NBC Sports / CBS Sports (Aug 15, 2014)
Confirmation that she was the first girl to throw a shutout in Little League World Series history, plus reactions from MLB players.
Sports Illustrated Kids — SportsKid of the Year (Dec 2014)
Mo'ne on never having thrown a baseball before the Monarchs, her development as a pitcher, and her breakthrough season.
Little League International — 2014 Little League Baseball World Series records
Official bracket, Taney's regional and World Series path, results, pitching distance and tournament statistics.
Columbia News (2024)
Her reflections on Hampton University and Columbia, balancing academics with athletics, and looking back on baseball.
Associated Press (2023)
Her internship with the Los Angeles Dodgers and continued involvement in professional baseball.
Sports Illustrated (Nov 2025)
Mo'ne on why baseball — not softball — was always her first love, and her pursuit of a professional path.
CBS Philadelphia (Aug & Nov 2025)
Her Women's Pro Baseball League tryout, her return to competitive baseball, and her line about not wanting thirteen to be her peak.
USA Today (Dec 2025)
Her selection in the inaugural Women's Pro Baseball League draft and details of the league's launch.
Transcript
HostWilliamsport, Pennsylvania. August 2014. There are thousands of people in the stands and millions more watching at home.
HostAnd walking out to the pitcher's mound is a thirteen-year-old girl from Philadelphia.
Mo'neI was nervous.
HostSeventy miles an hour. Nine innings of history. And she still had eighth grade to finish...
Full transcript continues in the show notes.
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