ERA 3.19 → 8.77 → 2.93. K-drama of 'Jamsil Jesus'. The unexpected ending came with eight perfect innings. Aiming for second-half history
Jul 03, 2024
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LG Twins' Casey Kelly, a long-time foreign pitcher in his sixth year, finished the first half in ace mode amid instability in replacement.
Kelly started in an away game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 2nd and recorded his 10th quality start of the season with seven hits, one walk, four strikeouts and one run in six innings. The team was replaced with a 2-1 lead and met the requirements for a winning pitcher, but unfortunately, the team failed to win due to a come-from-behind loss.
He finished the first half with 17 appearances, 4 wins, 7 losses, and a 4.47 ERA. He has played 102 ⅔ innings so far, ranking third after Lotte Wilkerson (108 ⅔ innings) and Kiwoom Furado (105 ⅓ innings) as of the 2nd.
He became the 42nd pitcher to surpass 100 innings for six consecutive years. He is the third foreign pitcher in history after Daniel Rios (six seasons from 2002 to 2007) and Henry Sosa (seven seasons from 2012 to 2018). In particular, it was significant that Kelly alone set this record among foreign pitchers.
The first five games, the middle five, and the next seven were completely different. It wasn't a bad start in the beginning. He recorded four quality starts in five games, recording one win, two losses and a 3.19 ERA. The next five games were completely ruined. There was only one quality start and only four losses without a win. The ERA soared to a whopping 8.77.
Originally, he was the type to catch by guessing, but as the fastball speed fell to the early 140km mark, the balls that became a hit now become hits and the number of runs increased. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop suggested Kelly, who has various pitches, to change the pitch design by mixing the breaking ball with the breaking ball rather than mixing the breaking ball with the fastball, which did not go well, and manager Yeom informed the media on May 22 that he would replace one foreign pitcher.
It has changed dramatically in the next seven games. He recorded 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in five quality starts. In the match against Samsung in Jamsil on June 25, he pitched perfectly until the eighth inning, recording one hit and no four outs. A week later, he finished his last appearance in the first half with a good pitching of one run in six innings.
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Expectations are now higher for Kelly, who finished the first half well. Kelly has been better in the second half than in the first half.
Until last year, he had 36 wins and 25 losses and an ERA of 3.45 in 84 games in the first half of the five years, and 32 wins and 13 losses and an ERA of 2.59 in 60 games in the second half. He took the mound in fewer games in the second half, taking a win similar to the first half, and his ERA was as low as 0.86.
It was the same last year. Kelly, who had a 6-5 record and 4.44 ERA in 18 games in the first half, even considered the club to replace him. However, in the second half, he returned with a good performance of 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA and achieved double-digit wins for five consecutive years. In Game 1 of the Korean Series, he allowed four hits and two runs (one earned run) in six ⅓ innings, and in Game 5, he became a winning pitcher with five hits and one run in five innings, playing his role as an ace in the team's victory and even renewing his contract.
If Kelly adds six wins in the second half to complete 10 wins, he will be the second to record a double-digit victory for six consecutive years since Rios. In addition, he will beat 77-year-old Henry Sosa with 78 wins to rank third in the total number of wins by foreigners after Dustin Nippert (102 wins) and Rios (90 wins).
Kelly's many wins means that LG will soon have more wins. It is also a plus in the ranking competition.
indyk@sportschosun.com
