The Major League Baseball season, as planned, will last sixty games. In those sixty games, it’s fair to expect Joe Kelly will make no more than about thirty appearances. It’s possible he’ll appear more, and likely he’ll appear less, but we’re drawing the line at thirty for this. That’s our Joe Kelly emotional budget until we adjust it.
Which brings us back to another thirty-appearance stretch. The one that began the 2017 season.
In 2017, our hero had only recently transitioned to full-time relief work. And man, did he make the most of it.
From Opening Day through June 23rd of that year, the man allowed only four earned runs. He posted a 1.14 ERA. He only struck out 24 batters, putting him below his career K/IP average, but still. Dominance.
I’m not saying the man with a surprisingly nimble bazooka attached to his right arm will be limited to a 1.14 ERA this year. Personally, the assumption is he’ll find a way to have the first negative ERA. But 1.14’s his floor, and it’s not a bad one.
Get the fire emojis ready.
