TORONTO – The weekend has been a special one for Denzel Clarke, as he returned home to a triumphant reception. Clarke, a rookie aged 25 playing for the Athletics, celebrated his first major-league home run at the Rogers Centre, nestled in his hometown of Toronto.
Clarke had mentioned recently that he anticipated an audience of about 150-200 friends and family members throughout the four-game series, and thus far, he has given them quite the show. In his initial stretch of six games on the major league stage, Clarke had a tough start, managing just one hit in 19 at-bats combined with 15 strikeouts. However, in Friday night’s game, he marked a turning point by securing two singles and his first major league RBI during an 11-7 defeat. His performance also included an impressive defensive moment in which he soared up the center field wall to snag a would-be home run from Alejandro Kirk during the fourth inning.
Saturday’s game saw Oakland trailing at 4-3 in the top of the second inning when Clarke—holding the ninth spot in the batting order—approached the plate. With a runner on base and only one out, he faced pitcher Braydon Fisher. Seizing Fisher’s very first pitch, Clarke sent the ball flying 406 feet into the stands over left field, securing a 5-4 lead for his team.
Denzel Clarke, connected by family to Arizona Diamondbacks’ first baseman Josh Naylor and Cleveland Guardians’ catcher Bo Naylor, honed his skills in college baseball at Cal State Northridge. He then emerged as a promising talent in 2021, being picked in the fourth round by the Athletics. Clarke was progressing through the ranks at Triple-A Las Vegas when he got the call to the majors on May 23.