Caitlin Clark just finished an historic WNBA rookie campaign, her Indiana Fever start the playoffs on Sunday, and she got more good news Saturday.
The Philadelphia Phillies have taken her up on her offer to broadcast a game.
If you’re wondering how Clark got an invite to call an MLB game, Clark’s teammate, Lexie Hull, posted a video of her watching the Phillies-Milwaukee Brewers game Wednesday. Clark, who didn’t know Hull had video rolling, pretended to be a play-by-play announcer.
Hull posted the video on TikTok, and it predictably went viral.
Clark tagged the Phillies on a repost of the video, and jokingly asked them to hire her.
It didn’t take the Phillies long to respond. Play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy made it known that any time Clark wants to call the Phillies games, she’s welcome in the booth.
“Hey Caitlin, what’s going on, Tom McCarthy, TV voice of the Philadelphia Phillies,” McCarthy said on TikTok (H/T playoff correlation on X). “Great job the other day with that description, got to the hole, threw it comfortably over to first. You have a future. And by the way, any down time you have, you’re up in the booth. …”
A reporter asked Clark about the video Saturday, and she cracked a huge smile. Clark said she learned something — announcing is very hard.
“I really didn’t know she was recording until a little bit of the way through,” Clark said. “I’ve kind of been following the Phillies, so I kinda know some of their players. It was pretty funny. I messed up a few times, but that’s a hard gig! Also I was out of breath and exhausted.
“So shoutout to all the commentators out there. I did it for like two minutes and I needed a break. And in baseball there’s a lot of dead time, so you have to find some random things to talk about, so I was talking about shoes, talking about random stuff. A little different than basketball. I don’t know if commentating is in my future, but who knows, maybe one time for fun somebody will let me do it.”
There’s a whole lot of basketball in Clark’s future before she’ll have time to pursue a sports broadcasting career. But a guest appearance or two in the Phillies booth could be fun to see.
The Fever play the Connecticut Sun in their WNBA playoffs opener Sunday at 3 p.m.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.