As Arizona Diamondbacks Merrill Kelly led the team to victory with a historic pitching performance in Game 2 of the World Series on the 29th (Korean time), his career is receiving intensive attention from local media.카지노사이트
This postseason is Kelly’s first major league fall baseball season. Of course, it was his first time on the mound in the World Series. He faced 24 batters over 7 innings and led the team to a 9-1 victory with brilliant pitching, allowing 3 hits, 9 strikeouts, and 1 run. Arizona, led by Kelly, avenged the humiliation of the upset loss in Game 1 in one day and was able to return home with a series record of 1 win and 1 loss.
Kelly is the 5th pitcher in World Series history to allow 1 run in 7 innings while striking out 9 or more without walking. Previously, in 2017, Clayton Kershaw of the LA Dodgers lost in the first game against the Houston Astros (7 innings, 11K, 1 run), in 2009, Philadelphia Phillies Cliff Lee played in the first game against the New York Yankees (9 innings, 10K, 1 run), and in 2000, the Yankees’ Roger Clemens. The record was set in the second game against the New York Mets (8 innings, 9K, no runs), and in the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers’ Don Newcomb in the first game against the Yankees (8 innings, 11K, 1 run).
Local media particularly emphasize the fact that Kelly made his major league debut by joining Arizona in 2019 after going through the KBO. Kelly is a late-career star who has worn a major league uniform after turning 30.
So, was Kelly on a solid track as soon as he entered the major league? Not like that. At the time, the Major League was not only a new league for Kelly, but also a stage with high challenges. He finished the first half of the year with 7 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 4.03 in 18 games. He seemed to be adapting smoothly. However, as his hunt became longer in the second half of the year, he began to lose trust. He had his worst performance, with an ERA of 8.91 in seven games between the Baltimore Orioles on July 24 and the Dodgers on August 30.
At that time, the head coach of Arizona was current coach Tory Lovullo. 2017 was my third year at the helm of Arizona.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated (SI) after winning Game 2 of the World Series on this day, Coach Lobulo recalled his memories at the time and said that he admired Kelly’s efforts to get out of his own crisis.
Coach Lobuler introduced that at the time, rather than sending Kelly down to the minor league, he achieved a psychological turnaround through shock therapy through counseling. The story is like this.
By mid-August of that year, Kelly’s ERA was approaching 5 points. This was due to him pitching for six or more runs four times to start the second half. On August 24, against the Milwaukee Brewers, he allowed eight hits and four walks and gave up six runs in 4⅓ innings.
Manager Lobulo could have sent Kelly to the minor leagues or moved him to a bullpen position, but he decided to talk to the player first. Regarding this, coach Lobuler told SI, “The way I solve (a player’s problem) is not to cut him off or cut off help. I wanted to warn him.”
One day in late August of that year, Coach Lovullo called Kelly into his room and said, “I’m going to tell you what I think. If you don’t get better than you are now, I’ll have no choice but to open the door and let you out. I’m warning you.” “I’m putting you on notice.”
He then gave a message of encouragement, saying, “Looking at your records, you are the worst starting pitcher in the National League. But I want to keep you for a long time. I want to maintain your place in the rotation. To do that, you have to show me that you have the ability.” .
Kelly then said, “I’m sorry. As you said, it’s all true. I think that’s what I need to do,” and said he accepted it without a word.
Kelly began to change afterward, adjusting his pitching form and improving his control. In the final five games of that season, Kelly recorded 4 wins, 1 loss, and an ERA of 2.18. The meeting with Manager Lovullo was a decisive opportunity for Kelly to become a top pitcher in the major leagues. The scary words, “You are the worst starting pitcher” awakened Kelly.
Coach Lovullo said, “He accepted what I said obediently. And later on, he sometimes brings up that story first. I never speak first.” This means that Kelly is grateful for Coach Lovullo’s advice.
Kelly ranks 5th in innings pitched (24), tied for 2nd in most wins (3 wins), and 3rd in strikeouts (28) in this postseason, and ranks 3rd in ERA (2.25) and WHIP (0.83) among pitchers who have pitched more than 15 innings. Ranked 3rd and 1st in hitting percentage (0.145). If there is a postseason Cy Young Award, Kelly could be a strong candidate.