Katie Brownell
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Katie Brownell (born 1993) is a Little League baseball pitcher who, on Saturday, May 14, 2005, pitched a perfect game for her team, the Dodgers of Oakfield, NY. Brownell, the only girl playing Little League in the entire upstate New York area, not only threw a perfect game (itself an extremely difficult and exceptionally rare accomplishment at any level of performance in the sport of baseball), but struck out every single batter she faced in the six-inning game. The feat initially garnered only local attention until news broke on various wire services several days later, followed by extensive media attention from news outlets across the United States after ESPN reported the story.
The shy Brownell, who was eleven years old at the time, was uncomfortable with all the media attention, and allowed few interviews. Up until the game, she had had a very strong season, both as a pitcher and as a batter (with a .714 batting average). Some baseball analysts attributed her performance to her imposing 5-foot 8-inch stature, considerably taller than her opponents, who themselves were still developing and possessed wildly differing skill levels. Nevertheless, she was soon honored at a ceremony at a special event held at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. She (reluctantly) donated her jersey from the game, which will be made part of an exhibit on Women in Baseball at the Hall of Fame, and she also met with President George W. Bush.
[edit] External links
- Democrat & Chronicle follow-up article
- WGRZ.COM story about meeting Bush
- ABCNews story about the National Baseball Hall of Fame
- Democrat & Chronicle article comparing Bush's visit with Katie to his visit with Jason McElwain
