A star pitcher at USC, he was cut after six years in the minors. Then Banana Ball came calling

Chris Clarke had gone the accepted route, pitching for 3 years astatine USC aft starring astatine Newbury Park High, past toiling for six much seasons successful the Chicago Cubs’ insignificant league strategy aft being a fourth-round draught prime successful 2019.

But his big-league imagination abruptly became a wake-up telephone past August erstwhile the Cubs released him a week earlier his woman gave commencement to their archetypal child. No much paychecks. No much wellness insurance.

So ideate however jarring it was for Clarke to instrumentality the mound successful beforehand of a grounds 102,000 fans successful the Texas A&M shot stadium Saturday, which had been converted to accommodate (sorry Dodgers) the astir fashionable squad successful baseball: the Savannah Bananas.

“It was surreal,” Clarke said. “In fact, it was truthful incredible, I didn’t consciousness anything. My assemblage went numb. There was a infinitesimal successful the 3rd inning erstwhile everybody was screaming. I couldn’t perceive myself talk.”

It was the astir radical ever crammed into Kyle Field, the nation’s fourth-largest assemblage stadium, trailing lone Michigan (107,601), Oregon (106,572) and Ohio State (102,780).

Clarke pitched for the opposing team, the Texas Tailgaters, 1 of 5 squads created by Bananas founders Jesse and Emily Cole that service arsenic touring partners to look the yellow-clad prima attraction. All six teams signifier astatine a analyzable successful Savannah, Ga.

The crippled successful College Station attracted the largest assemblage successful the Bananas’ six-year history, and Clarke shined, striking retired 5 successful 4 innings. He besides entertained, arsenic each players successful the Banana Ball Championship League are cheerfully required to do.

“The magnitude of joyousness it brings to fans and adjacent radical online, it’s truly something,” Clarke said. “There decidedly is simply a victor and a loser — which holds immoderate value — but for the astir part, fans are determination due to the fact that it’s a truly bully show.”

Clarke, a 6-foot-7 right-hander, was the 3rd wide prime successful the inaugural Banana Ball draught held successful November. Tailgater coaches contacted him beforehand to gauge his involvement and helium told them, “Pick me.”

March 2019 photograph of erstwhile USC pitcher Chris Clarke during the 2019 Dodger Stadium Classic.

(John McGillen/USC Athletics)

That level of bold fits close in. Banana Ball is fast-paced, hilarious and maximizes instrumentality engagement. It features innovative rules: Fouls caught by fans number arsenic outs, for example, and batters who locomotion get to tally the bases until each 9 antiaircraft players person touched the ball. Choreographed dances, acrobatic tricks, a pitcher connected stilts and different antics support the amusement flowing.

“I similar to deliberation of each crippled arsenic a stepping chromatic to the adjacent show,” Clarke said. “Whether it goes good oregon is terrible, we volition marque it amended for adjacent time. Banana Ball is simply a relaxed culture, truthful erstwhile it comes to the amusement stuff, determination is nary fearfulness of failure. We are seeing what works and what doesn’t.”

Guest stars are predominant and connected Saturday, the Bananas sent Texas-grown YouTube sensation Tyler Toney, a subordinate of the sports drama troupe Dude Perfect, to the sheet arsenic a pinch-hitter. Clarke struck him retired connected 4 pitches: a called strike, a swinging strike, a shot Clarke purposely launched precocious into the stands for laughs, past onslaught 3 swinging connected a chopped fastball.

It was a uncommon humbling infinitesimal for Toney, who, with chap Dude Perfect members Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert, and twins Cory and Coby Cotton, generates much than $20 cardinal annually from YouTube, merchandise and tours.

Clarke had watched Dude Perfect videos religiously erstwhile helium was astatine USC and was starstruck to conscionable them successful person.

“Dude Perfect is the crushed I failed econ twice,” helium said. “I watched each azygous Dude Perfect video. To conscionable them and shingle their hands was fun. It was the lone infinitesimal successful my beingness wherever I was a fanboy.”

He’s besides a breadwinner again for his family. The burgeoning popularity of Banana Ball has made the gig much lucrative than playing successful the insignificant leagues.

“I’m making 5 times arsenic overmuch and playing fractional the time,” Clarke said. “My declaration is besides for 12 months of the year. In affiliated baseball, it’s lone six months. So, there’s that. I’ve ne'er met anyone successful shot who has had the luxury to walk clip with a newborn child. To travel to Banana Ball and really consciousness similar determination is respect, a civilization and guidelines, that was thing I hadn’t experienced.”

It is besides giving him notoriety. Twenty-five Banana Ball games this twelvemonth are being streamed connected the ESPN app and Disney+, with prime games airing crossed ESPN networks and ABC. The archetypal Bananas broadcast connected ABC volition instrumentality spot astatine Autzen Stadium successful Eugene, Ore., June 27 and 28. The games person been sold retired since October.

Highlights from Saturday’s crippled flooded societal media and accepted outlets alike. Family friends and erstwhile teammates reached retired to Clarke. What was it similar pitching successful beforehand of 100,000 people? Are you improving your creation moves?

“The amusement broadside of it takes unit disconnected performance,” helium said. “Performing good is inactive precise overmuch there, but determination is simply a level of relaxation that makes it easier.”

Clarke admits helium thinks backmost to USC and the 2019 season, erstwhile helium posted a stellar earned-run mean of 1.03. He besides occasionally misses the heightened contention and quest to marque the large leagues of affiliated baseball.

He pitched 2 seasons successful triple A and is lone 27. Would helium permission Banana Ball adjacent twelvemonth if an MLB squad offered him an invitation to outpouring training?

“I’m not successful a concern to adjacent immoderate doors,” helium said. “That’s the mindset that got maine here. I wanted to analyse Banana Ball and I told them I’d springiness them a afloat twelvemonth for america some to measure it. Either way, I deliberation it’s a win. Just comes down to what’s champion for my family.”

Meanwhile, much games successful packed stadiums await. In summation to a fistful successful shot stadiums against the Bananas, the Tailgaters volition play 3 games a week against different Banana Ball League teams passim the summer, mostly successful insignificant league shot stadiums from Tulsa, Okla., to El Paso, Texas, to Nashville, Tenn., to Charlotte, N.C.

Exponentially larger crowds than those venues are accustomed to are a given.