It’s a homecoming for Denzel Clarke as his Oakland A’s take on the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game series that continued at the Rogers Centre on Friday night.
Clarke, who was born in Toronto and is currently Oakland’s fifth-ranked prospect, expects upwards of 200 family members and friends to attend the series when all is said and done. And after an 0-for-2 performance on Thursday, he sought to bounce back in Game 2.
Entering the game riding an ugly 1-for-19 streak to start his MLB career, Clarke showed up and showed out. He went 2-for-3 on the night with a walk and his first-ever RBI.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The 25-year-old Clarke stole the show in the bottom of the fourth inning when he scaled the centerfield wall and brought back a projected 407-foot home run off the bat of Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk.
Statcast recorded Clarke at a speed of 25.3 feet per second, covering a total of 86 feet to make the catch over the wall.
“It was probably one of the greatest catches I’ve ever seen,” A’s reliever Mitch Spence said, via MLB.com. “After I gave up that hit, I was kind of like, ‘Oh, crap.’ Then I look up, and I see Spider-Man up the wall. It was pretty incredible. It shows how great of an athlete he is out there. I gave him a big hug in the dugout.
“He’s as advertised. He’s going to make some unbelievable plays out there. As a pitcher, that’s exactly what you want.”
Although Clarke remained humble about the catch, it even left Oakland manager Mark Kotsay in shock.
“Climbing the wall and timing it to make it look almost routine is pretty insane,” Kotsay said. “His defense was on display again.”
It was a great showing for Clarke but not so much for the A’s. They lost the game, 11-7, and are now 0-2 against the Jays to start the series. Things resume on Saturday afternoon when Clarke will once again seek to make an impact with loved ones watching on.
