Joe Kelly names a Dodgers player who gets to wear his Mariachi jacket

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly revealed he would let All-Star starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto wear his Mariachi jacket when the Dodgers receive their World Series rings this year.

Kelly famously wore his iconic Mariachi jacket — which he received from musician Grover Castro in exchange for his jersey — to the White House after the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series. He also wore it when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Dodgers’ first Wild Card Series game this postseason.

Before choosing who he would have wear it, the former fan favorite first thought about who would fit into his jersey.

“Who do you think should wear this?” he asked David Vassegh on Dodger Talk. “Who do you think is skinny enough? Because dude, when I threw that first pitch, it was so tight on me. I’m 195 now. I was playing at 180, 185. And my arms are so tight, dude, I couldn’t even… I bounced off the ball. I couldn’t move my arm. It was so tight.”

After his consultation, Kelly chose the World Series MVP.

“I’d let Yama do it,” Kelly said. “Yes, tell him. Go ahead.”

Does Joe Kelly still play baseball?

After a successful 13-year MLB career, Kelly reluctantly announced his retirement after the end of the 2025 season.

“I’m not playing,” Kelly said on TV Baseball is not a boring podcast.

“There’s no such thing as retirement for athletes. Retiring is something my grandmother did. Let’s get rid of the word retirement, it’s used for people who served in the military, for people who worked until they were 65. You deserve to retire, athletes don’t.”

The right-hander played five seasons with the Dodgers, posting a 3.72 ERA in 161 appearances. He pitched in 485 games throughout his career, keeping his ERA just under 4.00. He won two World Series: one with the Dodgers and the other with the Boston Red Sox.

Kelly was a fan favorite in Los Angeles, with iconic moments like his jersey-for-jacket swap and the “pouty face” against the Astros in 2020 endearing him to the fans at home. It’s a great gesture from the former player to let one of baseball’s best players wear his jacket, and all that remains is to see whether or not Yamamoto will take him up on his offer.