OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Liam Plunkett leaned over the dugout rail at Raimondi Park with his arms crossed, looking every bit like a professional baseball player as he waited for his first chance to hit as a member of the Oakland Ballers.
Formerly a fast bowler for England's cricket team, the 41-year-old Plunkett made his pitching debut in June. He faced one batter, striking out Yuba-Sutter’s Josh Duarte on five pitches — one of the best hitters in the independent Pioneer League. Plunkett topped out at 77 mph and spun a breaking ball clocked at 63.
“At first I wanted to be respectful and put it down the middle so he could hit it, not throw something wild,” Plunkett said. “Then I realized I could throw in some skills. I expected to give up a hit.”
His career ERA stands at 0.00 — at least for now.
The appearance was part of a bigger effort by the 6-foot-4 cricketer to raise awareness for his own sport. Plunkett has been dabbling in America's pastime while visiting the Bay Area to broadcast Major League Cricket’s latest stop in Oakland, which includes the championship match for the fourth-year league Saturday at the Coliseum. The former San Francisco Unicorns player signed with the Ballers through a marketing exception. He has made two appearances so far, and that might be it.
“When he said, ‘Shall I do it?’ I was like, ‘Why not, what have you got to lose?’” Major League Cricket CEO Johnny Grave said. “I think he surprised himself.”
Cricket will return to the Olympics for the first time in 100 years at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. It is not a marquee sport in the U.S., but Grave is trying to generate interest beginning at the youth level with events leading up to those Olympics.
Plunkett is nearing the end of his competitive cricket career but will continue to stay involved as an ambassador, in the Bay Area and beyond. He is hosting four youth clinics this summer in Canada.
Ballers manager Aaron Miles was open-minded when the idea came about, trusting co-founders Bryan Carmel and Paul Freedman to do something fun for the fans of the defending Pioneer League champions.
“Obviously he shows his world-class athletic ability when he comes out here and he can throw strikes,” Miles said of Plunkett. “He even strikes the first guy out he faced, so pretty cool for us. The great thing about independent baseball is we have the ability to experiment sometimes and give the fans something a little bit different than just the average, normal baseball game. ... If I could say he could come be a regular player on the team, I would probably say no.”
Plunkett got his chance to hit in the fourth inning of a game last Sunday against Yuba-Sutter. With an open stance and his hands split slightly on the bat, Plunkett took ball one, then fouled off a pitch before hitting a bouncing grounder to the shortstop. He was thrown out at first.
“As the DH, I was like, I'm ready whenever you want me to go,” Plunkett said.
His hitting and throwing have come naturally. Plunkett even wore a baseball glove early on in his cricket development to get accustomed to the harder ball.
“We have a bowling motion, but we're in the outfield and we practice the same as a baseball throw,” he said. “Also in the UK, we were made to carry a baseball mitt with us to practice, so we always had a baseball mitt with us."
Giving baseball a try has been not only about Plunkett pushing out of his comfort zone to do something new, but also making international connections by having the two sports cross.
“He’s what they call an all-rounder, which is their version of (Shohei) Ohtani, which is pretty cool because he can pitch and he can bat,” Freedman said. “When he came out for the first time, it was in batting practice, just a few swings, where you could see the level of athlete that he was. ... It’s incredibly courageous and a testament to Liam. We don’t know him that well in the states, but he’s a huge star.”
Ballers President Yeshayah Goldfarb, a former college pitcher who worked more than two decades for the San Francisco Giants before joining the B’s, warmed up Plunkett pregame so he would be ready to hit without a formal batting practice that morning.
“When I was throwing to him, his swing wasn’t bad and he made contact,” Goldfarb said. “In terms of hand-eye contact, I was impressed.”
Plunkett joked before the game about clearing the fence in left-center field and landing the ball at Prescott Market in the distance. Whatever happened, Plunkett made it clear to his baseball teammates — many of whom are half his age — he had no plans of taking their jobs.
“It was fun. I was here to bring awareness to the sports, there was no expectation for me, I was lucky enough to enjoy it,” he said. “I’m glad it got some real spark around the world. I had people reaching out to me for Ballers merchandise: ‘It was really cool, can you get me some of this, can you get me some of that?’ It was kind of cool to put the Ballers on the map in my world as well.”
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FILE - England's Liam Plunkett during the Cricket World Cup semifinal match between Australia and England at Edgbaston in Birmingham, England, July 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
