“Retiring is like something my grandmother did… I’m sorry that you’re all looking at this and it’s a real job. You deserve to retire, athletes don’t.Kelly said. “We just stop [expletive] play, okay? Let’s delete the word ‘pension’. It is used for people who [expletive] served in the military, used for people who worked until age 65… When athletes are done playing, you just say ‘congratulations, they’re not playing anymore.’ ”
Kelly last played during the 2024 season, throwing 32 regular-season innings for the Dodgers. He didn’t sign a contract last winter and declared last July that he planned to show himself in a pitching session just for the Dodgers, saying he only wanted to pitch for Los Angeles if he returned at all. That session came and went without any fuss, and Kelly told Bradford that lingering injury problems convinced him to hang up the gloves. “I can throw 98 [mph] like nothing…[but] I threw a pitch and felt tense again, so like ‘nah, I’m doneKelly said.
High velocity has been the foundation of Kelly’s career, as he averaged 90 mph with his fastball during his MLB debut season with the Cardinals in 2012. A move to the bullpen added even more heat, as Kelly averaged 98.2 mph over the last eight seasons of his career, reaching 102 mph at his peak. Although Kelly’s fastball drew the most attention, his sinker (which also regularly sat in the upper 90s) and curveball were his most effective pitches at finishing batters after Kelly set them up with his standard fastball.
A third-round pick for the Cardinals in the 2009 draft, Kelly made his MLB debut with St. Louis in 2012 and pitched his first 266 Major League innings in a Cards uniform. A notable trade at the 2014 trade deadline saw Kelly and Allen Craig in exchange for John Lackeyand while the trade was panned by Boston fans at the time, Kelly’s development into a valued member of the Red Sox pen has, in retrospect, made the deal a little sweeter for Red Sox Nation.
Kelly struggled with injuries and consistency during his first two full seasons as a starter with the Sox, and a move to relief pitching in 2016 at least helped him spend less time on the injured list. Kelly had a 4.33 ERA over his entire 359 1/3 inning tenure with the Red Sox, but he shined brightest when he posted a 0.79 ERA over 11 1/3 frames during the 2018 postseason, playing a major role in Boston’s World Series championship victory.
After helping beat the Dodgers in that fall classic, Kelly then headed to LA on a three-year, $25 million free agent deal. Some early issues made that signing look like a potential bust, but Kelly righted the ship, finishing with a 3.59 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate, 59.9% grounder rate and 9.8% walk rate over 105 1/3 innings in that three-season span. The highlight was another postseason success and a ring in 2020, with Kelly allowing one earned run over 4 2/3 innings during the Dodgers’ title run.
A two-year, $17 million contract with the White Sox followed for Kelly ahead of the 2022 season, but injuries really started to pile up, leading to an ERA of just 5.59 over 66 innings in a Chicago uniform. Kelly was re-acquired by the Dodgers at the 2023 trade deadline and suddenly regained some of his old form, posting a 1.74 ERA the rest of the way. Los Angeles brought him back on a one-year, $8 million contract for the 2024 season, but Kelly’s health problems continued and he managed just a 4.78 ERA in his final 32 innings in the Show. Although he was not part of the Dodgers’ playoff roster, Los Angeles’ World Series victory meant Kelly earned his third ring in what ended up being his farewell season.
Over 485 games and 839 career innings in the majors, Kelly had a 3.98 ERA, a 51.8% grounder rate, a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 9.8% walk rate. His postseason resume includes a 3.45 ERA over 60 innings, and a particularly impressive 2.03 ERA over 13 1/3 innings in the World Series.
Along the way, Kelly created quite a reputation as a character. Kelly’s competitiveness at times led to a few high-profile suspensions, but his willingness to defend teammates only added fuel to the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees, and the sign-stealing scandal led to a feud between the Dodgers and Astros. Between his big fastball, erratic control and eccentric personality, Kelly welcomed any comparisons to “Wild Thing” Rick Vaughn, to the point that he wore No. 99 with the Dodgers after giving his No. 17 jersey to the incoming. Shohei Ohtani. (This gesture resulted in Ohtani give a Porsche as a gift to Kelly’s wife Ashley.)
We at MLBTR congratulate Kelly on a distinguished career, and we wish him all the best in his retirement… er, his post-playing endeavors.
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