KBO reverse export myth’ Merrill Kelly (34, Arizona Diamondbacks) had the best pitching this season, but was unfortunately injured.
Kelly started on the 25th (Korean time) in a home game against the 2023 Major League Cincinnati Reds at Phoenix Chase Field, Arizona, USA, and made a perfect pitch with 1 hit and 12 strikeouts in 7 innings. 86 pitches. The strike/ball ratio was also good with 6 strikes.
It was his fifth 7th inning pitched all season. There were runs in all of the previous four 7 inning appearances. However, on this day, he had only one hit and played a counterattack with 12 strikeouts.메이저사이트
His strikeout parade started in the first inning. He started off by striking out the first batter, TJ Friedle. He made a swing with his changeup. In the second inning, he struck out Christian Encarnacion-Stand after two outs. This time, the type of pitch that struck out was a changeup. In the third inning, he faced a crisis by allowing a double to leadoff hitter Noel Vimarte. However, it ended with two strikeouts and a pop fly.
In the 4th inning, Kelly, who also struck out 2 strikeouts and made a tripartite inning, continued the reverse fight with 2 ground balls and strikeouts in the 5th inning.
His strikeout parade continued in the 6th inning. He struck out Will Benson and Tyler Stevenson in a row. He then turned the freedl into a grounder on first base.
The highlight was the 7th episode. Matt McClane, El La Dera Cruz, and Spencer Steer all struck out and showed ‘KKK’. He set a record for most strikeouts this season with 12. It is also the highest tie record in the career. On May 21, 2021, he struck out 12 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The most strikeouts in the KBO League is 11. I caught it on April 12, 2017 against Lotte.
Kelly also got on the mound in the 8th inning when the team was ahead 1-0. However, he did not pitch further. While he was pitching practice, he felt something wrong with his body. He suffered hamstring pain and had to come off the mound.
The club explained, “I had a cramp in my right hamstring and ended the mound.” He is said to have suffered no major injuries.
Kelly qualified for the win, but missed the win because the bullpen committed arson. Fortunately, Arizona turned the game around in the bottom of the 8th inning and won 3-2.
Kelly is considered a KBO reverse export myth. In 2015, he joined the SK Wyverns and marked good grades with an average ERA of 3.86, 48 wins and 32 losses in 119 games and 729⅔ innings over four seasons.
In this way, with his success on the Korean stage, he was able to step on the major league stage again. Kelly, who had never made it to the big leagues before coming to Korea, signed a 2+2 year contract with Arizona in the 2018 season and returned to the United States.
In 2019, his debut season in the major leagues, he went 13-14 with an ERA of 4.42 in 32 games, meeting the expectations of the club, and had a splendid heyday last year. With an average ERA of 3.37 with 13 wins and 8 losses in 33 matches in the 2022 season, he has become the team’s ‘ace’. Using this performance as a stepping stone, Kelly enjoyed the joy of being selected for the US World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team. Following his momentum, he was also assigned the starting pitching duties for the WBC Finals.
This season is good too. He is active with 10 wins, 5 losses, 2.97 in 23 games, 136⅓ innings, including the game that day.