Caitlin Clark has no plans to quit her day job to become a baseball announcer, but she did have a great time stepping into the fantasy broadcast booth.
The Indiana Fever rookie made headlines on Friday after teammate Lexi Hull posted a TikTok video of her trying her hand at play-by-play commentary for a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies. Hull told reporters the next day that the experience gave her a newfound respect for baseball announcers and made her interested in actually calling games.
From Matthew Byrne of ClutchPoints:
“Well, I told Rex that I sometimes do commentary on games, and she was like, ‘Sure, I’ll start now.’ I didn’t even know she was recording until a while ago, but, well, it’s just fun. I root for the Phillies, so I know some of the players.”
“It was pretty funny. I messed up a few times but it’s hard work! Plus I was out of breath and exhausted so thanks to all the commentators. I needed a break after 2 minutes of commentary… I don’t know if I’ll do commentary in the future but maybe someone will let me do it once for fun.”
So, for an athlete known for his unique ability to draw unprecedented audiences to his sport, signaling his willingness to broadcast a game is sure to generate plenty of interest from MLB teams, especially if he jokingly comments, “Would the @Phillies hire me?”
The next day, both the Phillies and Brewers sent Clark an invitation to attend a game, with the Phillies including a note from play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy praising Clark’s commentary and inviting her to the commentary booth “any time you like.” He also asked her to bring her boyfriend, Connor McCarthy, a Phillies fan.
Clark also told reporters on Saturday that, through McCurphy, she supports the Phillies but also remains a fan of the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. A Yankees fan, she joined the Yankees radio booth last month.
Caitlin Clark may be coming to an MLB broadcast booth near you. (Photo: Justin Castaline/Getty Images)
As for when Clark will be able to call baseball games again, those teams will have to wait a while. The MLB regular season ends next weekend, while Clark will be focused on leading the Fever to the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Game 1 between the Fever and the Connecticut Sun kicks off at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
So it’s more likely Clark will be in the broadcast booth next season, either during spring training or at the start of the regular season. WNBA training camps typically begin in late April, a few weeks after the start of the MLB regular season.
