ARLINGTON, Texas — Since returning from a four-year stint playing for the SK Wyverns in the Korean Baseball Organization, Merrill Kelly has regularly appeared on that flattering and unflattering list of the most underrated pitchers in the majors.
He was durable and consistently above league average, but he did it off baseball’s main highway – for a perpetually losing team in the Mountain Time Zone. If you were a baseball fan, you knew Kelly. Yet he was never an All-Star, never received a Cy Young vote and just celebrated his 35th birthday on October 15th. So, it was possible that this would be his career – a great second act, but relatively anonymous after having never made it first to the majors as a farmhand for the Rays.
“I think in today’s game where speed is king, he does it in a different way and it might not be noticed as much,” Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said.
But what Kelly has done in the postseason, especially in his last two starts, can hardly go unnoticed. Instead, it provides a flattering new nickname – big game pitcher. He went from underrated to overwhelming on the October scene.
“It’s a late recognition, but well deserved,” offered Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen. “I’m sure it partly depends on the market we’re in. But this guy publishes [12th most starts over the past five seasons]. He has the feel of five or six throws.
Merrill Kelly, who has allowed just one run in seven innings, delivers a pitch during the Diamondbacks’ 9-1 victory in Game 2 of the World Series.Getty Images
In many ways, Kelly is the symbol of this Diamondbacks team, which continues to meet challenges when the eyeballs are most focused and the heat is most intense. So the baseball watching public got to know Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas, Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno better. And now Kelly — the No. 2 starter behind Gallen, who could finish in the top five in NL Cy Young voting for a second straight postseason run, but hasn’t matched his well-traveled sidekick in October.
Kelly won a Game 6 NLCS playoff for the Diamondbacks against the Phillies with five solid innings, then dominated this one in Game 2 of the World Series. Against a fierce Texas lineup, Kelly recorded seven one-run innings. None of them worked. He struck out nine. He challenged the Rangers batters and won. So did the Diamondbacks, who showed their ability to bounce back – from the worst record for this tournament, from a three-games-to-two loss in the NLCS and heading to Philadelphia for Games 6 and 7 and d a devastating world. Defeat in the first game of the series.
The Diamondbacks won 9-1 on Saturday night. They tied the 119th World Series at one game apiece. The best-of-seven now travels to Arizona for three games starting Monday.
Kelly faced two pressure points in Game 2. One was early. The Rangers had won in spectacular fashion for them and traumatic for the Diamondbacks in the first game. Corey Seager hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score with Arizona two outs after winning the first game, then Adolis Garcia knocked out the Diamondbacks with a home run in the 11th inning.
Merrill Kelly expires after coming out in the sixth inning during the Diamondbacks’ Game 2 victory.PA
So to avoid the negativity that could have spilled over from Game 1 to Game 2, Kelly had to shine from the start – and he was way better than good, retiring the Rangers’ first 11. In four innings, Kelly only needed 43 pitches. He had thrown a first pitch to 10 of 13 batters, had just one three-ball count and whiffed four on a single.
But Mitch Garver led off the fifth with a homer to bring the Rangers within 2-1. From there, however, Kelly allowed just one more baserunner via an infield single by Josh Jung, shutting down the enthusiasm for 42,500 at Globe Life Field. In Game 6 of the NLCS, Kelly held the Phillies to one run in five innings, but was angered at that point. But here, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo trusted him after having to overload his pen in the first game — and was rewarded.
Merrill Kelly (left) celebrates in the dugout after completing his gem of seven innings in the Diamondbacks’ Game 2 win.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
In the sixth and seventh innings, Kelly had six wins, six losses with five strikeouts. Kelly doesn’t dominate as much as she overwhelms. Four of his nine strikeouts were looking. It is precise. His change is a devastating weapon. He only needed 89 pitches to finish seven innings.
“His stuff doesn’t jump off the table, which is what I get in today’s game,” Hazen said. “But he can really throw.”
And Arizona can really execute on both sides of the ball. The Diamondbacks got a homer from Moreno. But it was an offense Whitey Herzog would have loved. One steal, three sacrifices, just two strikeouts in 37 plate appearances, 6 for 14 with runners in scoring position and while they scored seven runs in the final three innings, they had just one extra hit (a double from Thomas).
Arizona is annoying, capable and relentless. The 84-win regular season suspect is 10-4 in the playoffs, most impressively 7-3 on the road. Suspicion and anonymity disappear. Kelly is representative of the group. In four postseason starts, he has a 2.25 ERA, .145 batting average. You can’t live unnoticed when you and your team thrive in October.
2023-10-29 05:40:28
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