If you haven't heard of Cooper Thissen yet, you will now. The 12-year-old from Davenport Northwest (Iowa) put on a show for the ages at the Little League World Series on Friday, delivering a performance that had fans and analysts alike dropping the biggest name in baseball.
Thissen was absolutely untouchable on the mound, striking out 15 batters while allowing zero hits over the course of the game. His fastball touched 74 mph — a number that would make any high school pitcher envious, let alone a kid still in elementary school. He fanned the side in the first inning, setting the tone for what would become a historic outing.
But Thissen wasn't done there. In the bottom of the first, he stepped to the plate and launched a solo home run, giving Iowa the only run they'd need. It was the kind of two-way dominance that has only one modern comparison: Shohei Ohtani.
"Strike out the side, then lead off the bottom half with a home run. That's about as good an inning as a baseball player can have. That's Shohei Ohtani style baseball," one fan tweeted, capturing the sentiment of thousands watching.
The game ended 1-0 in Iowa's favor, with Thissen's no-hitter preserved by his defense and his own clutch hitting. It was a complete performance that left the crowd in awe and social media buzzing. "This game is on at work and I watched this kid pitch and I'm ready to say right now he's going to win 4 Cy Youngs one day," another fan commented.
The Ohtani comparisons are inevitable, given Thissen's rare blend of power and pitching prowess. But for now, the young star is just enjoying the moment. "Where can I buy a Cooper Thissen jersey? Wow," one fan wrote, while another simply asked, "So is this Cooper Thissen dude just gonna be the next Ohtani or what?"
Thissen's performance also reignited the ongoing debate about Little League's pitching limits, with some fans arguing that players like him should be allowed to pitch more often. However, the rules are in place for safety, and Thissen won't be back on the mound until Wednesday at the earliest.
For now, the baseball world can only marvel at what they witnessed. Thissen has set the bar impossibly high for the rest of the tournament, and if Friday was any indication, we might be watching a future superstar in the making. As one fan put it, "That's about as good an inning as a baseball player can have."
