When Banana Ball calls: Former USC pitching star’s career gets surreal

Chris Clarke had followed the traditional route, pitching for three years at USC after playing at Newbury Park High, then toiling for six more seasons in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system after being a fourth-round pick in 2019.

But his big league dream abruptly turned into a wake-up call last August when the Cubs released him a week before his wife gave birth to their first child. No more paychecks. More health insurance.

So imagine how overwhelming it was for Clarke to take the mound in front of a record 102,000 spectators in Texas A&M football stadium on Saturday, which had been converted to host (sorry Dodgers) baseball’s most popular team: the Savannah Bananas.

“It was surreal,” Clarke said. “Actually, it was so amazing, I didn’t feel anything. My body was numb. There was a point in the third inning where everyone was screaming. I couldn’t hear myself speak.”

It was the most people ever packed into Kyle Field, the nation’s fourth-largest college stadium, behind Michigan (107,601), Oregon (106,572) and Ohio State (102,780).

Clarke pitched for the opposing team, the Texas Tailgaters, one of five teams created by Bananas founders Jesse and Emily Cole, who serve as touring partners to take on the yellow-clad star attraction. All six teams train at a complex in Savannah.

The game in College Station drew the largest crowd in the Bananas’ six-year history, and Clarke shined, striking out five in four innings. He also entertained, as all Banana Ball Championship League players are gleefully bound to do.

“The amount of joy it brings to the fans and even people online, it’s really something,” Clarke said. “There’s definitely a winner and a loser – which carries some weight – but for the most part, the fans are there because it’s a really good show.”

Clarke, a 6-foot-7 right-hander, was the third overall pick in the inaugural Banana Ball draft held in November. Tailgater’s coaches contacted him beforehand to gauge his interest and he told them, “Pick me.”

This level of boldness fits in perfectly. Banana Ball is fast-paced, hilarious, and maximizes fan engagement. It features innovative rules: fouls caught by fans count as outs, for example, and batters who walk can run on the bases until all nine fielders have touched the ball. Choreographed dances, acrobatic tricks, pitcher on stilts and other antics keep the entertainment flowing.

“I like to think of each match as a stepping stone to the next show,” Clarke said. “Whether it goes well or badly, we’ll do better next time. Banana Ball is a relaxed culture, so when it comes to entertainment, there’s no fear of failure. We see what works and what doesn’t.”

Guest stars are common, and on Saturday the Bananas sent Texas YouTube sensation Tyler Toney, a member of the sports comedy troupe Dude Perfect, to the pinch-hitter position. Clarke struck him out on four pitches: a called strike, a swinging strike, a ball that Clarke deliberately threw high into the stands for a laugh, then hit three swinging strikes on a cut fastball.

It was a rare moment of humility for Toney, who, along with Dude Perfect colleagues Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert and twins Cory and Coby Cotton, generate more than $20 million a year through YouTube, merchandise and touring.

Clarke had watched Dude Perfect videos religiously when he was at USC and was amazed to meet them in person.

“Dude Perfect is the reason I failed economics twice,” he said. “I watched every Dude Perfect video. Meeting them and shaking their hands was fun. It was the only time in my life I was a fanboy.”

He is also once again the breadwinner of his family. Banana Ball’s growing popularity made the job more lucrative than playing in the minor leagues.

“I win five times as much and play half the time,” Clarke said. “My contract is also 12 months a year. In affiliated baseball, it’s only six months. So there you go. I’ve never met anyone in baseball who had the luxury of spending time with a newborn. To come to Banana Ball and actually feel like there’s respect and culture and guidelines, that was something I hadn’t experienced.”

This also gives him notoriety. This year, twenty-five Banana Ball games are broadcast on the ESPN app and Disney+, with select games broadcast on the ESPN and ABC networks. ABC’s premiere broadcast of Bananas will take place at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon on June 27-28. The games have been sold out since October.

Highlights from Saturday’s match flooded social media and traditional media outlets. Family friends and former teammates reached out to Clarke. What was it like pitching in front of 100,000 people? Are you improving your dance moves?

“The entertainment aspect takes the pressure off performance,” he said. “Performing well is still there, but there is a level of relaxation that makes it easier.”

Clarke admits he thinks back to USC and the 2019 season when he posted an excellent 1.03 ERA. He also occasionally misses the increased competition and quest to make it to the major leagues of affiliated baseball.

He pitched two seasons in Triple-A and is only 27 years old. Would he leave Banana Ball next year if an MLB team offered him an invite to spring training?

“I’m not in a position to close doors,” he said. “That’s the mindset that brought me here. I wanted to investigate Banana Ball and I told them I’d give them a full year so we could both evaluate it. Either way, I think it’s a win. It just depends on what’s best for my family.”

Meanwhile, more matches in packed stadiums await us. In addition to a handful in ballparks against the Bananas, the Tailgaters will play three games per week against other Banana Ball League teams throughout the summer, primarily in minor league baseball stadiums from Tulsa to El Paso to Nashville to Charlotte.

Exponentially larger crowds than these places are used to are a given.