The meaning of "Kim Hyunsoo's 90 Degrees of Greetings" is... Even if my son is born, I give up going to the U.S. Take the mound after three days off.Even the Korean name tattoo... Icon of 'Devidence' for the team. He was a good man until the end

Jul 21, 2024

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. It was LG Kelly's last appearance, but the game was canceled due to rain in the bottom of the third inning. A farewell ceremony was held amid the rain. Kim Hyun-soo is greeting Kelly politely. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. It was LG Kelly's last appearance, but the game was canceled due to rain in the bottom of the third inning. A farewell ceremony was held amid the rain. Kelly is bowing to the fans. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. The game was canceled due to rain in the bottom of the third inning. Kelly said goodbye to his teammates after his last appearance at LG was called off. Colleagues are rinsing Kelly. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

Terminating a foreign player's contract during the season is because his performance is lower than expected. But I was so sad to say goodbye to him that I held a farewell ceremony. The departing player may cry, but all the domestic players who were with him shed tears and grieved their farewell.

LG Twins' 'Jamsil Jesus' Casey Kelly broke up with the KBO League after the game against Jamsil Doosan, where the no-game was declared on the 20th. LG has signed new foreign pitcher Elijah Hernandez and decided to announce Kelly on waivers. Kelly, who has played for LG since 2019, has been an indispensable ace at LG. He was a pitcher who always led the team as the first starter and pitched well in the postseason.

Since his performance was good, he renewed his contract and played for six years until this year. He became the fifth foreign pitcher to play for six years. Even if they played together for a long time, not all the players would be sad in tears. For he was just as good a man as he was.

It was different from other foreign players. He's always been for the team, he's been for the fans. Dedicated himself to the team.

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. The game was canceled due to rain in the bottom of the third inning. Kelly's farewell ceremony was held after his last appearance at LG was canceled. Kelly hugging Oh Jihwan. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. It was LG Kelly's last appearance, but the game was canceled due to rain in the bottom of the third inning. A farewell ceremony was held amid the rain. Kim Hyun-soo is hugging Kelly. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. The game was canceled due to rain in the bottom of the third inning. Kelly's farewell ceremony was held after his last appearance at LG was canceled. Kelly hugging Doosan players. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

He has pitched more than 100 innings for six consecutive years so far this year. He was the third foreign pitcher in history after Daniel Rios (6 seasons from 2002 to 2007) and Henry Sosa (7 seasons from 2012 to 2018).

I tried to throw as many innings as possible for bullpen pitchers, whether it was good or bad. From May 16, 2020, to Jamsil Kiwoom (6 innings) to Incheon SSG (8 innings) on July 28, 2022, he has a new record of pitching more than 5 innings in 75 consecutive games. Of his 163 starts, only six failed to exceed five innings. In other words, 157 pitches have been thrown more than five times. This year, he pitched 113 ⅔ innings to rank No. 1 in the team and No. 5 overall.

In September 2021, Kelly said she would not go on maternity leave to throw on the mound because her son was born in the U.S. At that time, he gave up looking at his son for the team because he was competing for first place with KT and Samsung. Usually, foreign players go on vacation to the U.S. when there is a family event, but Kelly was almost the only one who did not go to the U.S. when their son was born.

Kelly started Game 1 in the 2022 playoffs and became a winning pitcher with two runs in six innings. Then, he took a three-day break and showed his fighting spirit to start again in Game 4, which was driven to one win and two losses. OK for the team at the request of the coaching staff. Even though he threw 95, he decided to take the mound after a three-day break that he had never played before. He pitched two runs in five innings, but lost because the lineup did not explode, and Kelly's fighting spirit was in vain.

In an exhibition game between LG and KT in the KBO League at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 9th, LG Kelly is on the ground for warm-up. Suwon = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2024.03.09/

A game between the LG Twins and the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium on the 25th. Winning LG Kelly is doing an interview. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.06.25/

Game 5 of the Korean Series between KT and LG at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 13th. LG won Game 5 and won the Korean Series. Kelly and Austin are enjoying their joy. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2023.11.13/

Kelly almost took the mound in Game 4 after a three-day break in last year's Korean Series. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said he was planning to put Kelly in Game 4 if he lost Game 3 with one win and one loss. Kim Yoon-sik was appointed as the starting player for the fourth game, but if he lost the third game and was driven to one win and two losses, Kim Yoon-sik had to throw under great pressure, which could make the fourth game difficult. Kelly was also OK to win. Fortunately, thanks to Oh Ji-hwan's dramatic come-from-behind home run in the top of the ninth inning, Kelly became a winning pitcher in Game 5 and was able to enjoy the joy of winning the Korean Series to his heart's content with his teammates and fans.

Kelly never forgets to thank her Korean fans for always supporting her and her family. Perhaps that's why his Korean name 'Kelly' was tattooed on the back of his left ear to put his love for Korea into action. He also shed tears as he thanked his fans during an interview after pitching perfectly until the eighth inning of the Jamsil Samsung match on June 25.

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. Players are applauding Kelly ahead of his last game at LG. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. It was LG Kelly's last appearance, but the game was canceled due to rain in the bottom of the third inning. A farewell ceremony was held amid the rain. Kelly's family and players are taking a commemorative photo together. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. It was LG Kelly's last appearance, but the game was canceled due to rain in the bottom of the third inning. A farewell ceremony was held amid the rain. The Kelly family is in tears as they watch the electronic display video. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

His last appearance was also Kelly's. The club talked to Kelly about terminating his contract the day before and asked him if he would start, and he said he would discuss it with his wife and throw it. He was sluggish in the beginning, but his performance after June is not bad, and he may refuse to take the mound, expressing dissatisfaction with being replaced, but he decided to accept the breakup and throw it for the fans and to play again with his teammates. And even though it was no game due to rain, I threw it like Kelly. He allowed two hits, one walk, and one strikeout in two ⅔ innings until it was suspended due to a two-out, second base defense in the top of the third inning. He did his best to throw the ball for the team's victory without hurling that it was the last time.

In the end, when it became a no-game and her breakup with Kelly became official, Kelly shed tears that she had endured. And all my colleagues were also sad with tears in their eyes. At the farewell ceremony, captain Kim Hyun-soo came out to give him a bouquet of flowers to say goodbye and bowed to him in 90 degrees. It was a respectful gesture to him for his dedication to the team. Kim Young-joon, who was not often seen as well as the players who were always with him in the first team, was also seen crying. It's a scene where you can see how good he was to his colleagues.

It was not easy to see a player with good skills and personality in the KBO League, which has been with numerous foreign players. Kelly was a model for not only foreigners but also Korean players.

indyk@sportschosun.com