Joe Kelly returned to the mound at Fenway Park last night for the first time since the World Series, putting on the kind of show for his old fans that only Joe Kelly can provide.
There were two 101-mph fastballs.
A pitch went approximately six feet over catcher Austin Barnes’ head.
There was a walk.
There was a run.
The inning ended with a strikeout.
The run was earned, even though an error was involved (Mookie Betts advanced to third after the error came while he stole second, then scored on a Xander Bogaerts single), making it Kelly’s first earned run since Joe Kelly Bobblehead Night (unless it gets wiped clean like the last one did). Even so, our guy didn’t allow any hard contact (the highest exit velocity was 87.0 mph), and the run was insignificant in the scope of the game.
Joe Kelly reigns.
