| Joe Kelly | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kelly at the 2024 championship parade | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1988-06-09)June 9, 1988 (age 37) Anaheim, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| June 10, 2012, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| September 27, 2024, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 54–38 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.98 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 767 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Joseph William Kelly Jr. (born June 9, 1988) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher who is a free agent. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theSt. Louis Cardinals,Boston Red Sox,Los Angeles Dodgers, andChicago White Sox. He playedcollege baseball for theUC Riverside Highlanders, where he served as both astarter and areliever. The Cardinals drafted Kelly in the third round of the2009 MLB draft. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 190 pounds (86 kg), Kelly throws and bats right-handed. He won theWorld Series in2018 and2020 with the Red Sox and Dodgers, respectively.
Kelly gained publicity for his comical repertoire, such as dancing in theoutfield during practice, disguising himself while interviewing the unwittingrapperNelly, engaging in a lengthy staredown with Dodgers outfielderScott Van Slyke before a2013 National League Championship Series game, and wearing acharro jacket to theWhite House. In 2020, Kelly's mocking ofCarlos Correa complaining about a near hit by pitch became a popularonline meme.[1][2]
Kelly is the son of formerfootball player, Joe Kelly Sr. His father playedcollege football for theVanderbilt Commodores, and professionally forLos Angeles Cobras of theArena Football League (AFL), as well as a brief stint with theSan Diego Chargers of theNational Football League (NFL).[3][4] Kelly was born inAnaheim, California,[5] and attendedCorona High School inCorona, California. After high school, he attended theUniversity of California, Riverside (UCR), and playedcollege baseball for theHighlanders team.[6] An outfielder in high school, he converted to pitcher in college and served as thecloser.[7] He was namedBig West Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2007 as a freshman.[8] After his sophomore season in 2008, he playedcollegiate summer baseball for theYarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of theCape Cod Baseball League.[9][10] In 2009, Kelly posted a 5.65earned run average (ERA) with a 1–1win–loss record. Kelly set a Highlanders record with 24 careersaves and was named anAll-American. His final career stats at UCR included a 4.65 ERA and an 8–11 record in 42 career games.[7]
TheSt. Louis Cardinals selected Kelly in the third round of the2009 MLB draft and signed him on June 15 for $341,000.[11] Kelly made hisprofessional baseball debut with theBatavia Muckdogs of theLow-ANew York–Penn League, where he appeared in 16 games (two starts), posting a 4.75 ERA with 30strikeouts in30+1⁄3innings pitched.[12]
In 2010, the Cardinals mainly used Kelly as astarting pitcher with theSingle-AQuad Cities River Bandits to get him more innings and develop his secondary pitches. He succeeded in the role and remained a starter.[13] For the season, Kelly appeared in 26 games (18 starts) and pitched103+1⁄3 innings while registering 92 strikeouts and 45walks with a 4.62 ERA and 6–8 record.[12]
In 2011, Kelly pitched for the High-APalm Beach Cardinals of theFlorida State League and then theDouble-ASpringfield Cardinals of theTexas League. Combined, Kelly appeared in 23 games (22 starts) and pitched 132 innings, recording 113 strikeouts and 59 walks with an 11–6 record and 3.68 ERA. In 2012, with theTriple-AMemphis Redbirds, he posted a 2.86 ERA in 12 games (all starts).[12]
Kelly made his MLB debut on June 10, 2012[14] replacing the injuredJaime García in the Cardinals' starting rotation.[15] Kelly pitched seven innings in his MLB debut, against theCleveland Indians, allowing seven hits and one run while striking out four batters; he received ano decision in the game. His first MLB strikeout was ofCarlos Santana.[16] Once García returned to the rotation, Kelly moved to abullpen role; however, he impressed team officials so much they considered keeping him in the rotation and movingLance Lynn to the bullpen.[17] Overall for the2012 Cardinals, Kelly appeared in 24 games (16 starts) while compiling a 5–7 record, with a 3.53 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 107 innings pitched.[18]
Kelly's first MLB postseason series was the2012 National League Division Series, against theWashington Nationals. He appeared in three games and pitched3+2⁄3 innings of relief without giving up a run or a hit; he walked one batter and struck out three batters.[19] The Cardinals then advanced to the2012 NLCS against theSan Francisco Giants. In the deciding Game 7, Kelly came on to pitch in the third inning with the Giants ahead 2–0 with the bases loaded and no outs; he gave up two hits and two walks, lasting just2⁄3 of an inning, and exited with the Giants ahead 7–0, in a game they would go on to win 9–0.[20] Overall, Kelly made four appearances in the series, pitching a total of four innings in relief; he gave up six hits and was charged with two earned runs, while walking three batters and striking out two batters.[21]
Afterspring training in 2013, Kelly lost his rotation spot to rookieShelby Miller and was relegated to thebullpen for much of the first half of the season, seeing little use.[22] However, he became known somewhat as a "stopper" after being reinserted into the rotation to increase its effectiveness. In August, Kelly went 5–0 with a 2.08 ERA.[23] He stranded 83.3% of baserunners as a reliever, and 82% as a starter. He won all three of his starts against thePittsburgh Pirates, who finished the season three games behind the Cardinals.[24] During the2013 Cardinals regular season, Kelly had 37 appearances (15 starts), registering a 10–5 record and 2.69 ERA, with 79 strikeouts in 124 innings pitched.[18]
On October 6, Kelly made his first postseason start against the Pirates in the2013 National League Division Series, receiving a no decision in Game 3.[25] He had the same result in Game 1 of theNLCS,[26] followed by a loss to theLos Angeles Dodgers in Game 5.[27]
In Game 6, Kelly and Dodgers outfielderScott Van Slyke created a stir before the first pitch by engaging in a lengthy staredown. Both men remained on the field after the conclusion of "The Star-Spangled Banner," long after the rest of their teammates departed the field to await the start of the game. They maintained their positions with hats over their chests through the ground crew's preparation of the field andstarting pitcherMichael Wacha's warmup pitches. A total of about 15 minutes passed before the annoyed home plate umpire,Greg Gibson, motioned to both players. Both claimed "victory", as Kelly had smiled first, and Van Slyke had first moved from his position.[28]
Kelly made his firstWorld Series start in Game 3, against theBoston Red Sox. He received a no decision in a 5–4 Cardinals win, pitching5+1⁄3 innings while allowing two hits and two runs, striking out six batters and walking three batters.[29]
Kelly won his2014 debut on April 5 after the Cardinals defeated thePittsburgh Pirates, 6–1, despite allowing 10 base runners in5+1⁄3 innings. He alsodoubled off opposing starterFrancisco Liriano for his first hit of the season.[30] He suffered a hamstring strain in his second start on April 14[31] and spent three months on thedisabled list, before returning on July 11.[32] During the 2014 season, Kelly appeared in seven games (all starts) for the Cardinals, pitching 35 innings and compiling a 2–2 record with 4.37 ERA[18]
Overall, in parts of three seasons with St. Louis, Kelly compiled a 17–14 record with 3.25 ERA and 179 strikeouts over 266 innings pitched in 68 games (38 starts).[18]
On July 31, 2014, Kelly was traded to theBoston Red Sox along with first baseman/outfielderAllen Craig for starting pitcherJohn Lackey and minor league pitcher Corey Littrell.[33] In ten starts for Boston, during August and September, Kelly went 4–2 with a 4.11 ERA while striking out 41 and allowing 32 walks in61+1⁄3 innings.[18]
In January 2015, Kelly made a guarantee to the Boston media that he would win the ALCy Young Award the following season.[34] However, he was injured in aspring training game[35] and began the season on the disabled list.[36]
Through his first 15 starts, he suffered through his worst season in the majors, going 2–6 with a 5.74 ERA.[37] However, in an August resurgence, he won all six starts, including a 3–1 win over theNew York Mets on August 29,[37] making him the first Red Sox pitcher sincePedro Martínez to record six wins in one month.[38] He lowered his ERA to 4.94 in August.[37] Kelly was shut down after September 15 due to injury.[38] He finished the season 10–6 in 25 starts for the season with a 4.82 ERA.[18]
Early in the2016 season, the Red Sox placed Kelly on the disabled list on April 20 with a rightshoulder impingement.[39] In his return on May 21, he took ano-hitter through6+2⁄3 innings against theCleveland Indians.[40] However, Kelly pitched only4+2⁄3 and2+1⁄3 innings in his next two starts.[41] By the end of the 2016 season, after spending time with the Triple-APawtucket Red Sox, Kelly's role with Boston was as arelief pitcher.[42] He ended the 2016 regular season with 20 MLB appearances (six starts) with an ERA of 5.18 and a record of 4–0.[18]
In his new relief role, Kelly made three appearances in the2016 American League Division Series. He pitched a total of3+2⁄3 innings, retiring all 11 batters he faced including three strikeouts.[43]
For the2017 season, Kelly continued his role as a member of the Red Sox bullpen.[42] During the regular season he made 54 appearances, all in relief, compiling a 2.79 ERA with 4–1 record in 58 innings pitched; he had 52 strikeouts and issued 27 walks. His fastest pitch of 2017 was 102.2miles per hour, third-best in MLB only to pitches byAroldis Chapman andFelipe Vázquez.[44] His two-seam andfour-seam fastballs had the second-and third-highest average speeds of any MLB pitcher's pitches in 2017, at 98.9 mph.[44]
In the2017 American League Division Series, Kelly pitched in two of the series' four games, allowing no walks and four hits with one strikeout in2+2⁄3 innings of scoreless relief.[45]
Early in the2018 season, in an April 11 game against theNew York Yankees atFenway Park, Kelly hitTyler Austin with a pitch, following a slide by Austin in which he was accused of spiking infielderBrock Holt.[46] Austin charged Kelly and started a bench-clearing brawl; four players, including Kelly, were ejected. This was Kelly's first career ejection.[47] On April 12, Kelly was suspended by MLB for six games and fined an undisclosed amount.[48] During his suspension, Kelly watched a game from thebleacher seats at Fenway Park.[49] He appeared in a career high 73 games for the Red Sox, finishing with a 4.39 ERA in65+2⁄3 innings.[18] In the postseason, Kelly made nine appearances, pitching11+1⁄3 innings while allowing one earned run and striking out 13.[18] He was the winning pitcher, in relief, of Game 4 of theWorld Series, as the Red Sox defeated theLos Angeles Dodgers in five games.[50]
On December 21, 2018, Kelly signed a three-year, $27 million, contract with theLos Angeles Dodgers. The contract included a $12 million option for a fourth year.[51] Kelly struggled in the early part of the season for the Dodgers and had an 8.35 ERA on June 1, causing him to be booed by the homefield fans.[52] However, after tweaking his delivery he became one of the team's primary bullpen weapons the rest of the season, posting a 3.15 ERA in the second half of the season.[52]
He finished 2019 with a 5–4 record and one save, and a 4.56 ERA in 55 relief appearances, in which he struck out 62 batters in51+1⁄3 innings.[18] In Game 5 of theNational League Division Series, Kelly gave up a 10th inning grand slam toHowie Kendrick, and was tagged with the loss.[18]
On July 29, 2020, Kelly was issued an eight-game suspension afterthrowing atAlex Bregman andCarlos Correa of theHouston Astros and inciting a bench clearing altercation after a strikeout of Correa.[53] He appeared in 12 games in thepandemic shortened 2020 season and allowed two earned runs in 10 innings.[18] He appeared in five games in the postseason, including two in the2020 World Series against theTampa Bay Rays. He allowed only one run in3+2⁄3 innings as the Dodgers won the championship.[18]
In 2021, Kelly pitched in 48 games for the Dodgers with a 2.86 ERA, two saves and 50 strikeouts in 44 innings.[18] In the postseason, he pitched5+1⁄3 innings over seven games through theWild Card Game,NLDS andNLCS, allowing three runs on five hits.[18] While appearing as anopener in Game 5 of the NLCS, he suffered a right biceps strain that shut him down for the rest of the playoffs.[54] On November 6, 2021, the Dodgers declined the 2022 option on Kelly, making him a free agent.[55]
On March 14, 2022, Kelly signed a two-year, $17 million contract with a club option for the 2024 season with theChicago White Sox.[56] Kelly struggled in his first year with the White Sox, going 1–3 with a career worst 6.08 ERA in 43 games in 37 innings while striking out 53 batters.[18] In the 2023 season, he made 31 appearances (29 innings) for the Sox, with a 1–5 record and 4.97 ERA.[18]
On July 28, 2023, Kelly andLance Lynn were traded to the Dodgers in exchange forTrayce Thompson,Nick Nastrini, andJordan Leasure.[57][58] He pitched in 11 games with a 1.74 ERA.[18] The Dodgers declined the option on Kelly's contract, paying him a $1 million buyout rather than guaranteeing him a salary of $9.5 million for the 2024 season.[59]
On December 11, 2023, Kelly re-signed with the team on a one–year, $8 million contract.[60] He posted a 4.73 ERA in 15 games before he was placed on the injured list with a right shoulder posterior strain on May 6, 2024,[61] from which he was activated on July 19.[62] He finished the season with a 1–1 record, 4.78 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 35 games.[18]
During the off-season, Kelly commented that he would only return to the Dodgers, and would otherwise retire.[63] In an interview in August 2025, Kelly revealed that his comeback plan was to pitch a showcase for the Dodgers in hopes of signing with them before season's end.[64]
Kelly throws afastball that can reach up to 102.2 miles per hour (164.5 km/h)[65] and complements it with asinking fastball andslider. His sinker shows dramatic horizontal movement, while paradoxically, not showing the kind of vertical movement (sink or drop) of other sinkerballers such as former teammateJustin Masterson – and is one of the fastest in the game, at about 98 miles per hour (158 km/h). He also throws a changeup to left-handed batters and acurveball. His control of his pitches — including his fastball — receives compliments.[24][66]
Kelly shared a condominium for a time withShelby Miller, with whom he competed for a rotation spot during spring training 2013.[67] Kelly married Ashley Parks, daughter of formerMinnesota Twins catcherDerek Parks, in November 2013. Kelly met his wife while attending UCR.[68] They have three sons and a daughter.[69] He and his family reside inRancho Cucamonga, California.[70]
Kelly has showcased his jocular side on occasions besides the 2013 NLCS. While rapperNelly, a self-professed Cardinals fan and "unofficialmayor" ofSt. Louis, interviewed withFox Sports Midwest's Jim Hayes before a game in 2013 featuring hisbobblehead giveaway, Hayes welcomed "an older member of the Cardinals organization" to participate. This older member was Kelly wearing a mask of a bald, elderly man. Nelly never guessed it was a prank until Kelly revealed himself after the interview.[71]
Kelly's mother, Andrea Valencia, is Mexican-American.[72] Earlier in the 2013 season, Kelly was spotted dancingsalsa in the outfield. He attributed this urge to dance salsa to moves his mother taught him after urging him to take lessons when he was a child.[71] Kelly received acharro jacket in ajersey swap with a mariachi musician in celebration of his Mexican heritage and wore it to the Dodgers' championship trip to the White House following the 2020 season.[73]
Although Kelly played baseball as a child, he was not a fan of the sport.[3] However, he once stated that he "likedOakland a lot for a long time", and would later follow the careers of his favorite players.[74]
