The mood was grim at Dodger Stadium.
Carson Kelly had homered for the visiting Diamondbacks in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead, and while the Dodgers were still alive, there was an aura of frustration. They’d tied the game in the bottom half, but squandered a one-out, bases-loaded opportunity.
Enter Joe Kelly.
Eleven pitches later, the Dodgers were up to bat again, fully primed for Cody Bellinger’s walk-off home run.
What happened in those eleven pitches?
Just your standard Joe Kelly outing. Lots of strikes. Lots of velocity. A groundout from all-star starter Ketel Marte. A strikeout of Tim Locastro. A groundout from Eduardo Escobar, he of the top-25 hitter WAR.
All this just one night after throwing 23 pitches. When the team needed him, Joe Kelly was ready to go.
Joe Kelly’s ERA now? 5.76
Joe Kelly’s fWAR now? 0.1 (Hey, that’s positive!)
Joe Kelly since his bobblehead night? 8.1 IP, 9 K, 3 BB, 1.08 ERA
*fire emoji*
