LG Twins foreign-born pitcher Casey Kelly has been playing in the KBO for six years. As the Twins try to reach the 10-win mark for the first time in six consecutive years with the same team, Kelly is once again on the verge of being replaced.
Kelly signed with LG in 2019 and has played six seasons so far this year. After going 14-12 with a 2.55 ERA in 29 games in his first year, Kelly has won 10 or more games every year until last year.
In 2020, she went 15-7 with a 3.32 ERA in 28 games and 13-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 30 games in 2021. In 2022, he went 16-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 27 games and won the Most Valuable Player award. It was the first LG pitcher to win the title in 21 years since Shin Yun-ho in 2001.
Last year, Kelly struggled midway through the season and was on the verge of being released, but rebounded in the second half to go 10-7 with a 3.83 ERA in 30 games. He got his dream start on the mound in the Korean Series, going 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA in the series and winning the championship.
Kelly, who re-signed for a total of $1.5 million this season ($400,000 signing bonus, $800,000 salary, $300,000 incentive), is having his toughest season yet. In 19 appearances, he is 5-8 with a 4.51 ERA. Through the end of May, his ERA was last in the league (5.60). Since June, he has improved to 3-2 with a 3.18 ERA in eight games, but his future is unclear.
LG general manager Cha Myung-seok left for the United States on the 17th. He went to look for a new foreign pitcher.
“I heard that there was one pitcher who was the No. 1 starter, so I went to see him. I only went to see one, and I will make a decision soon whether to replace him or not,” said manager Yoon Kyung-yup. If Kelly and Enns are to be replaced, Kelly is the risk. Enns is 9-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 20 games.
Kelly is in the top five for most career wins by a foreigner. Dustin Nippert, who played eight seasons with Doosan and KT, leads the list with 102 wins. Daniel Rios, 파워볼게임 who played for KIA and Doosan, is second with 90 wins and Henry Sosa, who played eight seasons for four teams (KIA, Nexen, LG-SK), is third with 77 wins. Kelly is tied for fourth with Andy van Hecken (Nexen, 73 wins).
Kelly’s record is one of the most impressive in LG’s franchise history. Only five pitchers in history have won more than 70 games in an LG uniform. Kim Yong-soo (1985-2000), LG’s first pitcher to have his number retired (41), is the franchise’s all-time wins leader with 126 career victories. Chung Sam-heum (1985-1996) has 106 career wins and Kim Tae-won (1986-1998) has 85 career wins. Kelly’s 73 wins are the fourth-most in LG’s franchise history, surpassing Lee Sang-hoon’s (1993-2003) 71 wins.
If Kelly can finish the season with 10 wins, he’s within striking distance of the record. Rios was the only other foreign pitcher to win 10 games in six consecutive years, from 2002 to 2007. However, from 2002 to 2004, he played for KIA, and from 2005 to 2007, he played for Doosan. No foreign pitcher has ever won 10 games in six consecutive years with one organization. Will Kelly have that chance?