Mo'ne Davis Threw First Pitch to Robert Hassell III in Full Circle LLWS Moment

Davis shut out Hassell's Little League team over a decade ago.

Mo'ne Davis threw out the first pitch to her former LLWS opponent, Robert Hassell III / Screengrab via the Washington Nationals (@Nationals) on X/Twitter

Little League World Series legend Mo’ne Davis is no stranger to throwing out the first pitch on MLB bumps. She threw out the ceremonial pitch in Game 4 of the 2014 World Series after she became the first female to pitch a shutout in LLWS history.

She also tossed the first pitch for the Nationals on Thursday, and this one may have been even more special. Behind the plate was Nats outfielder Robert Hassell III, who Davis competed against in Williamsport, Pa.

MO'NE FIRST PITCH

caught by former @littleleague world series opponent robert hassell iii 🥲 pic.twitter.com/Z22ZKkTw9Q

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 14, 2025

Hassell, 23, made his major league debut this season. He was drafted with the No. 8 pick by the Padres in the '20 MLB draft.

Davis struck out eight batters and gave up just two hits in her complete-game shutout for the Philadelphia Little League team, which gave them the win over a group from Nashville: Hassell's team. A true full-circle moment on a major league diamond Thursday.

She got the call to throw out the first pitch as part of the Nationals' ladies night celebrations. The timing worked out well, as she's set to return to Nationals Park next week to participate in the historic Women's Pro Baseball League tryouts. The moment came just one day after this year's LLWS kicked off in Williamsport, too.

This time, I'm sure Hassell was happy he was behind the plate and not in the batter's box.

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