Joe Kelly was called upon to keep the Dodgers in the game last night after Blake Treinen and Victor Gonzalez surrendered the lead. (No hate—we’ve all done it, and more off, who cares? We’re Joe Kelly fans. Not Dodgers fans.)
Keep the Dodgers in the game, he did.
He threw just one fastball (100 mph, of course) and expended just nine pitches as he got Victor Caratini to fly out (sac fly, but that’s not a bad outcome there SO DON’T MENTION INHERITED RUNNERS SCORING OK?) before inducing a Ha-Seong Kim groundout. Two thirds of an inning. Scoreless. Which means…
Joe Kelly’s ERA is under 5.00.
We’re into the sightly zone again.
For those uninitiated in ERA’s, here’s the general breakdown:
0.00-0.99: Holy shit this guy’s unreal.
1.00-1.99: Holy shit this guy’s great.
2.00-2.99: Holy shit this guy’s good.
3.00-3.99: This guy’s good.
4.00-4.99: This guy’s a major league pitcher.
5.00-5.99: This guy’s bad.
6.00-6.99: Oh man. This guy’s bad.
7.00-Infinity: I am so sorry for this man’s family right now.
For relievers, the goalposts are a little leaner, but the rule here is the same: If you’re in the 4’s, nobody notices. Factor in that our guy’s FIP’s down at 3.96 and his xERA’s a fine 4.19, and things are peaceful in Joe Kelly’s kingdom.
Celebrate it.
