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Norman Brown expressed countless thanks to a mysterious voice on the other end of his cell phone. He then snapped it shut and turned to his 12-year-old daughter, Mackenzie.

"Yo dawg," he said, thrusting his arms in her direction, "you're throwing out the first pitch at the Mets game on Saturday!"

Life has been a little crazy for Mackenzie since Tuesday. Of course, that can happen when you retire all 18 boys you face for a perfect game in the Bayonne Little League – the rarest of baseball feats, even at that level.

The congratulatory calls turned to balloons and appearances on local television stations. This morning brought a trip to New York City to do a national Fox TV morning program where she threw pitches in their studio. Last night, she got to sit at home and watch ESPN show highlights of her pitching.

"It's been pretty crazy," she said. "In school I have all these teachers asking for my autograph. I wasn't used to that."

Playing with the boys, that she's used to. She's been doing it since she was 6.

There are no official records on how many perfect games are thrown per season. Little League Baseball in Williamsport, Pa., estimates only 50 to 60 gems occur each year.

How many by girls? That, no one knows. But officials at the Bayonne Little League say it is the first in their league's history.

Little League officials estimate that more than 100,000 girls play in baseball leagues across the country (Mackenzie is one of two in Bayonne). But while many girls start with baseball, most switch to softball by age 10.

Mackenzie, who says she plays baseball because she always has been successful against the boys and just wanted to continue with it, knew she had something special going midway through the game.

"In like the fourth inning I kind of knew," she said. "Then I just tried to keep doing what I was doing and not try to mess it up."

Her biggest scare came on the second-to-last batter she faced, as he fouled off pitch after pitch (somewhere between five and 12, depending on who you ask). She eventually struck him out, one of 12 she recorded in the game. She finished by striking out the last six.

And while the feat has brought her a lot of attention, she says the coolest part of the week is "probably just being able to throw like that."

Glenn Regan, her manager and the commissioner of the Bayonne Little League, said that reaction doesn't surprise him a bit.

"There are some players I might worry about if their hats would fit on their heads by the time I needed them to pitch again," he said. "But not Mackenzie."

The middle child between two baseball-playing brothers, Mackenzie has enjoyed the perfect setup for pitching success. Between Mackenzie, Daniel, 14, and Matthew, 8, the three rotate between pitching, catching and umpiring in the driveway next to their house.

Soon, however, those games will need adjustments. When her Little League career ends at the conclusion of this season, she will make the switch to softball. She has enjoyed her heyday playing ball with the boys but has aspirations of a chance to play college sports – either in softball or basketball, in which she's a highly touted point guard.

Baseball doesn't fit that mold as easily.

But for now, baseball can be Mackenzie's excuse to miss school for a day and adventure to New York City. And throwing out the first pitch for the Mets game, her dad says, can be an excuse to miss just about anything.

"Forget Saturday," he said, grinning at Mackenzie. "All Saturday plans are on hold."


Source:  Jackie Friedman/The Star-Ledger