Merrill Kelly, 35, who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball (MLB), is a former KBO player. He played in the Korean professional baseball league from 2015 to 2018 for SK (now SSG). After compiling a career record of 48-32 with a 3.86 ERA in 119 games in the KBO, Kelly became a “reverse export” when he left for the big leagues in 2019 after receiving an offer from Arizona. As he grew into his MLB career, he formed a one-two punch with Zack Greinke to become the team’s ace starting pitcher.
Then, in the MLB World Series (best-of-seven), Kelly made a comeback and became the winning pitcher. He became the first KBO pitcher to win both the Korean Series (KS) and the WS.
Kelly started against the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the 2023 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, U.S., on Sept. 29 and pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, striking out nine and allowing one run to lead his team to a 9-1 victory. Coming into Game 2 after his team lost Game 1, Kelly had reason to feel the pressure, but he bounced back to even the series.
Kelly, who played in the KBO from 2015 to 2018, was particularly memorable in Game 3 against KS in 2018. It was a memorable moment as SK went on to win the championship. He then went on to play in the U.S., where he also won the World Series.토스카지노
Only Ryu Hyun-jin went on to play in the WS after experiencing the KS. Ryu pitched in Games 1 and 4 of the 2006 KS against Samsung while playing for Hanwha, and in Game 2 of the 2018 WS against the Boston Red Sox in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. However, Ryu failed to pick up a win in either of those games. Kelly became the fifth player to pitch in the final series between Korea and the United States, and the only one to win both.
As this was his first MLB postseason experience, many were concerned that he would struggle. However, he dismissed the postseason hype as something he had already experienced in Korea. In fact, Kelly has handled the pressure perfectly throughout this year’s postseason, going five or more innings in all four of his starts this fall, including this one, and holding opposing batters to one run or less in three of them.
“It was a dream (to pitch in the WS), but it was just a ‘dream’ at the time,” Kelly said after the game, “and Arizona brought me here. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”