Like many Joe Kelly outings, it was a performance best described as heroic. Staring down a 7–1 deficit in the fourth inning, the flamethrower emerged from the bullpen, stopped the bleeding, and led the Dodgers to an 8–1 loss. Pitch by pitch, after Kelly relieved Clayton Kershaw with two outs and a runner on first:
The Manny Machado At-Bat
- Fastball. Strike at the bottom of the zone.
- Fastball. Fouled back to the screen.
- Changeup. Cue shot base hit Machado would later thank the fates for handing him.
The Jake Cronenworth At-Bat
- Changeup. Just missed outside.
- Fastball. Strike on the inside corner.
- Fastball. Swung at and missed.
- Fastball. Fouled up over the third base dugout.
- Fastball. Popped up weakly to Nick Ahmed to escape the jam.
The fastball was bending. The changeup looked sharp. The vibes were defiant and hopeful. It was as though Joe Kelly said, “Hey, Clayton Kershaw. I got you. Know that I am here.” Did it help Kershaw? It was too late for that. But, you know, maybe down the line.
We’re always curious how Padres fans feel about Joe Kelly. The Dodgers are the Padres’ biggest rival,* and there was that incident where Kelly stared down Fernando Tatís Jr., and while we’ve said before that we think Padres fans understand Joe Kelly, understanding someone doesn’t always mean you like them.
Did they boo when Joe Kelly entered?
No. Not noticeably on the broadcast,** anyway.
I think, though, that there was a lot of jumbotron happening at the moment Joe Kelly came into the ballgame. When the game came back from commercial, the opening clip featured women screeching from comfortable chairs. They seemed to be staring out past the outfield, but they didn’t look dead in the eyes. Had they looked dead in the eyes, I’d assume they were possessed. That is what you assume when someone looks dead in the eyes and is screeching from a comfortable chair. Because they didn’t, I assume there was a “Get Loud!” graphic going, one of the ones with the fake sound meter on the side.***
Then, into a “Beat L-A!” chant, which—again—felt like something inspired by a jumbotron. Jumbotrons love imploring San Diegans to implore their athletes to vanquish Los Angeles.
What to make of this? I don’t think Padres fans, as a whole, notably dislike Joe Kelly. I think that if they did, the Padres would have known and their in-game programming would have allowed space for some booing. (If they really hated him, the booing would have overridden whatever the jumbotron was trying to say.) I know some individual Padres fans can’t stand the guy, but I’d imagine some of them are also hesitant to express that because they don’t want to align themselves with the Astros. Overall? Between Tatís handling that staredown like a champ (“Kelly is a baller”) and Padres fans knowing what Riverside is, I think the relationship is fine. I would guess Padres fans tie for second on the list of Joe Kelly’s haters, but it’s a distant second. And, to be clear, we get it. It’s a division rival thing.
(For those wondering, for offseason purposes: Petco Park is only about an hour further from Joe Kelly’s home than Dodger Stadium.)
*Always funny when a “biggest rival” tag isn’t reciprocated.
**I was watching the Padres broadcast. Wanted to try it out.
***These always bothered me when I attended games as a child. I believed them at first, and when I realized they were fake, I was disgusted.
