Former England cricketer Liam Plunkett has made a surprising transition to baseball, debuting for the independent Oakland Ballers.
The 41-year-old former seam bowler took the mound for the Ballers under the Pioneer Baseball League's "marketing player" exception, which allows temporary signings of high-profile cross-sport athletes.
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Facing the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds at Raimondi Park on Friday, Plunkett started the game and recorded a strikeout.
Plunkett, a 2019 Cricket World Cup winner, relocated to the United States with his wife and has been playing Major League Cricket for the San Francisco Unicorns.
"Originally, I thought it's like the ceremonial open pitch, but it was the real thing," Plunkett said.
"I was first on the mound, a little bit nervous, but the catcher was excellent."
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"But I got that strikeout. I think the hitter didn't know what was coming.
It was a bit unusual, a mix between bowling and then pitching."
"Play first game, get a strikeout. What more could I ask for?
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Happy days!"
