The Little League World Series is no stranger to breakout stars and big-league legacies. But the latest player to take Williamsport and the country by storm is making a unique sort of history — both on the mound and at the plate.
Her name is Kinley Rasmus, who became just the 25th girl to take part in the LLBWS when she took the field for Phenix City, Ala., last week. But that's far from the only reason she's become a household name over the first few days of this year's tournament. She's also been one of the best hitters and pitchers in the field so far.
We don't yet know whether Rasmus will get another start for her Southeast squad as they face off against Mid-Atlantic in an elimination game on Monday night. But no matter what position she's playing, she's become must-see television — not that MLB fans who recognize her famous last name are surprised.
How is Kinley Rasmus performing at the Little League World Series?
Rasmus first burst onto the scene a few weeks ago, firing a complete-game shutout to lead Phenix City to a win in the Southeast Region title game. She took the ball again in Alabama's Little League World Series opener last Wednesday and was nearly as dominant, striking out eight and allowing just one hit over six shutout innings against the team from Tacoma, Wash. (Just how important is she to the Alabama pitching staff? As soon as pitch count forced her from the mound, Tacoma pushed two runs across in the seventh to secure a 2-0 win.)
Little League rules prevented her from pitching again in Phenix City's next game over the weekend, but no matter. She promptly went to work at the plate instead, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a triple to help key a 12-2 mercy-rule victory over Bonita, Calif. — just the fifth girl to ever notch a multi-hit effort in Williamsport.
Inside Kinley Rasmus' MLB family ties
Of course, maybe we should've seen this coming. She does, after all, come from a serious baseball legacy. Kinley's dad, was a first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves back in 2006 who wound up pitching 123 innings across parts of four seasons in the Majors. And Cory's brother, Colby, was an outfielder who hit 166 homers in a decade in the bigs that included stints in St. Louis and Toronto.
Both Cory and Colby are no strangers to Williamsport, having played on the 1999 Phenix City team that won the Southeast Region and made it all the way to the LLWS final before losing to Japan. The coach of that team? Their dad Tony, who himself spent three seasons in the Minor Leagues. Oh, and Kinley's other uncle, the brother of her mother Jill, just so happens to be long-time MLB catcher Jeff Mathis.
How far can Kinley Rasmus' Alabama team go at the LLWS?
Having already taken a hard-luck loss in their opener last week, Phenix City is one more defeat away from elimination. Their win over West over the weekend kept hope alive, but they'll still need to rip off four wins over the next four days if they want to make it to the U.S. final. Southeast should probably be considered the favorites on Monday against a Mid-Atlantic squad that lost to Bayonne, NJ in their opening game. From there, though, they'd need to survive a rematch against the Tacoma team that handed them their first loss.
Of course, having a two-way force like Kinley at your disposal helps. Rasmus is now free to take the mound again after four days of rest, although Alabama has yet to announce whether she'll start on Monday night. Even if she doesn't, though, she spearheads a deep and dangerous lineup capable of scoring runs in bunches. And when Kinley's on the mound, you know she'll at least give them a chance to win.
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