Joe Kelly turned his successful 2018 campaign with the Boston Red Sox into a $25 million contract, but he is not off to the best start with his new team. The right-hander has already been booed by some Los Angeles Dodgers fans, though he insists he is not letting it discourage him.
Kelly has been charged with six earned runs in three innings in his first two outings with the Dodgers. After he took the mound with LA leading 2-0 in the seventh against the San Francisco Giants on Monday night and left with the game tied, the boos began to rain down. Kelly said he didn’t blame the fans at Dodger Stadium, calling his performance “really, really horse crap.”
Joe Kelly described his first two Dodgers outings as "really, really horse crap" and said, "If I did my job, we'd be 5-0." But he also said the ball feels good coming out of his hand and his mechanics are sound. On the boos … pic.twitter.com/bX1Xh7U2XE
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) April 2, 2019
Kelly had some rough stretches during the regular season with the Red Sox last year, but the flamethrower’s lights-out performance in the playoffs earned him a big payday. He allowed just one earned run in 11.1 innings pitched during Boston’s postseason run, and the Dodgers are hoping they see more of that Kelly going forward.
We have already seen at least one star player booed by his own fans in the early part of the MLB season, but that was a lot less noticeable than what Kelly heard at Dodger Stadium. If he doesn’t stop blowing games, it will only get worse.
