2019 World Cup winner Liam Plunkett makes professional baseball debut, strikes out opponent

Debut and strikeout

Liam Plunkett, the 41-year-old former England seam bowler and 2019 World Cup winner, took to the mound at Raimondi Park for the Oakland Ballers against the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds. Starting the game as a pitcher, he threw five pitches and struck out Freebirds hitter Josh Duarte in front of 1,878 fans. The Ballers ultimately lost the contest 18–11. Plunkett later said he had expected the outing to be more ceremonial, but it quickly became a genuine competitive moment.

Originally, I thought it's like the ceremonial open pitch, but it was the real thing. I was first on the mound, a little bit nervous, but the catcher was excellent.

Cricketing past and MLC career

Plunkett's last international cricket appearance was the 2019 World Cup final, where he took three wickets as England defeated New Zealand on boundary count after a tied match. He subsequently emigrated to the United States, his wife's home country, and has since featured in Major League Cricket for the San Francisco Unicorns. He has yet to play in the current MLC season for the Unicorns.

I think I’m the first English cricketer to ever play a professional game of baseball. 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.

Marketing player exception

The Ballers signed Plunkett under the Pioneer Baseball League’s “marketing player” exception, which allows teams to bypass standard roster eligibility limits. The clause enables clubs to add one high-profile cross-sport athlete or notable veteran to their 25-man active roster. Plunkett’s appearance is not expected to lead to a permanent career switch; he remains part of the Unicorns squad.

Learning a new sport

Plunkett, who tried batting during training sessions before deciding pitching was his stronger suit, noted the stark difference between a baseball swing and a cricket bat path, especially against pitches reaching 90 mph. He admitted he would have loved to hit a home run, but was satisfied with the strikeout.

The swing path when you bat is so different compared to cricket, especially when someone is pitching at 90mph. I’d have loved to hit a monster home run because that would have gone viral!

A memorable night

Reflecting on his first competitive outing, Plunkett emphasised the unusual mix of bowling and pitching that caught the hitter off guard. He saw the evening as a light-hearted success, concluding with a characteristic remark: “Happy days!”