Former England cricketer Liam Plunkett makes professional baseball debut
What's the story
Former England cricketer Liam Plunkett has made his professional baseball debut for the Oakland Ballers, an independent American club. The 41-year-old, who was instrumental in England's 2019 World Cup victory, took to the mound against the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds in the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL) on Friday night. He struck out Josh Duarte with five pitches at Raimondi Park.
New venture
Cool to say I have played professionally: Plunkett
Plunkett described his baseball debut as a mix of bowling and pitching. He had previously thrown the ceremonial first pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins as an MLC ambassador. "I think I'm the first English cricketer to ever play a professional game of baseball," he told BBC Sport. "It's obviously a few rungs below Major League Baseball, but it's still pretty cool to say I have played as a professional in two bat-and-ball sports."
Career transition
Plunkett under marketing player exception
Plunkett signed with the Ballers under the PBL's marketing player exception, which allows teams to sign high-profile cross-sport athletes. He is currently part of the San Francisco Unicorns squad for Major League Cricket (MLC) but has yet to make an appearance this season. Despite his successful baseball debut, Plunkett isn't considering a permanent career change from cricket to baseball.
Cricket legacy
A look at his cricket career
Plunkett has played 13 Tests, 89 ODIs, and 22 T20s for England, taking a total of 201 wickets. He was part of the England team that won the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2019. The final between England and New Zealand at Lord's was his final international match. After his international career, he moved to the US with his wife and started playing Major League Cricket for San Francisco Unicorns.