Growing up about 20 miles outside Toronto, Denzel Clarke received an early education in the art of the home run robbery. Every night during the summer, Clarke flipped on the television to watch the Toronto Blue Jays, specifically center fielder Kevin Pillar, whose ability to hoist his body up the 10-foot wall at Rogers Centre and steal would-be home runs from unsuspecting batters won him cult-hero status and an adoring fan who dreamed one day of mimicking him.
One week after making his major league debut with the Athletics in late May, the 25-year-old Clarke traveled home for a series with the Blue Jays.