Defending KBO champions LG Twins parting ways with veteran pitcher Kelly

LG Twins starter Casey Kelly pitches against the Kia Tigers during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju, in this June 19 file photo. Yonhap

Defending Korean Series champions LG Twins said Saturday they have decided to cut ties with veteran pitcher Casey Kelly.

Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb told reporters Kelly’s scheduled start against the Doosan Bears, Saturday, will be his final one in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Kelly has been pitching for the Twins since 2019, making him the longest-tenured foreign player in the league this season and also the longest-serving foreign player the Twins franchise history.

This season, however, the American right-hander has struggled to match his past success. He carried a 5-8 record and a 4.51 ERA in 19 starts into Saturday’s outing at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. In five previous seasons, Kelly had a career 3.08 ERA.

Youm said he had learned of the roster change Friday morning and initially didn’t want to use Kelly in Saturday’s game. However, he also wanted to give Kelly a proper sendoff, considering his contributions over the past half-dozen seasons.

“I gave him that choice,” Youm said. “He spoke with his family and decided he wanted to make one final start. And I think the guys are going to play hard for him today, because it would mean a lot to have him pick up the win in his final game.”

Kelly’s farewell outing was spoiled by inclement weather, though. The game went into a rain delay with the Twins up 6-0 with two outs in the top of the third, and the umpiring crew called off the game after a 99-minute wait.

Kelly pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings, giving up just two hits, but those numbers will not count.

In the 2019-2024 period, Kelly sits atop the KBO pitching leaderboard in wins (73), starts (163), innings pitched (989 1/3) and strikeouts (753). In every season from 2019 to 2022, Kelly ranked in the top seven in ERA.

Kelly was the winning pitcher when the Twins clinched their first championship in 29 years in Game 5 of the 2023 Korean Series against the KT Wiz.

Kelly, 34, struggled out of the gate in 2024 and his job, along with that of fellow American starter Dietrich Enns, appeared to be in danger when Twins general manager Cha Myeong-seok traveled to the United States in May to scout a potential replacement. Kelly was 2-6 with a 5.60 ERA through May.

But Kelly bounced back in June, pitching to a 2.91 ERA in five starts. The highlight of his season came on June 25, when he came within three outs of throwing the first perfect game in KBO history in a complete game shutout against the Samsung Lions.

Kelly has been solid in July too, having allowed just one earned run in two of his three starts before Saturday. But in search 추천 of a more dominant, front-end type starter ahead of a stretch drive, the Twins decided to make a change.

The Twins ranked in second place through Friday’s action at 50-42-2 (wins-losses-ties), six games behind the Kia Tigers.

Youm insisted, however, that the midseason change doesn’t taint Kelly’s legacy as a Twin.

“We will remember what he has meant to this club over the past six seasons. As long as I am managing here, Kelly will be a part of our family,” Youm said. “Once he retires, we could invite him to our spring training as an instructor.”

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