“Manager’s belief that he wants to re-sign, will Kelly respond with a strong outing?

“I’d like to re-sign Kelly.”

Ahead of the game, the manager expressed his desire to stick with the foreign pitcher for another year. LG Twins foreign pitcher Casey Kelly is likely to take the mound at Jamsil Baseball Stadium next year, but will he end the series on his own terms?

“I would like to re-sign Kelly,” LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said before Game 4 of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Korean Series against the KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on April 11, explaining how he plans to organize his starting lineup for the remainder of the series.

“It’s all about what the front office thinks, but Kelly has a lot of heart for the team. Even if we get a new foreign pitcher, having her will be a big help.” He emphasized Kelly’s importance to the team outside of the game as well. 토토사이트

Kelly has been playing in the KBO since 2019, and he’s been steadily improving every year. From 2019 to 2021, he surpassed 170 innings for the third straight year, showing off his innings-eating prowess. Last season, he won the most games in a season (16) since his debut.

This season, he has a record of 30 games, 178⅔ innings, 10 wins, 7 losses, and a 3.83 ERA. On the surface, Kelly has done his best work since his rookie year (180⅓ innings). But it hasn’t been a smooth ride. After struggling in April, going 1-2 with a 5.66 ERA in six games and 35 innings, Kelly rebounded in May with a 4-1 record and 2.73 ERA in five games and 33 innings, only to fall back into a downward spiral in June.

The lack of a breakthrough in July left the manager, coaching staff, and front office deeply concerned. Some even suggested that a foreign pitcher was inevitable if the team wanted to challenge for a championship.

In the end, LG’s choice was not to replace but to trust. Above all, the player’s will was strong. Kelly had a breakthrough midway through the season, when he asked for a face-to-face meeting with his manager, and was constantly talking to his teammates and coaching staff.

It paid off in performance. Kelly improved in August, going 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in five starts and 28 innings, then regained his ace form in September, going 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA in five starts and 31⅓ innings. As LG prepared for the Korean Series, the team was able to keep Kelly in the starting lineup, giving him a confidence boost.

In Game 1 of the Korean Series against KT on April 7, Kelly shut down the KT offense with 6⅓ innings of four-hit ball, two walks, six strikeouts, and two runs (one earned). Although her team lost 2-3, she did what she was supposed to do as a starter.

LG did not collapse after losing Game 1, and swept Games 2 through 4 to gain an advantage. A win in Game 5 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 13th will allow them to celebrate the championship. The best-case scenario for LG would be to close out the series in Game 5, as the starter for Game 6 has yet to be finalized. It remains to be seen if Kelly, who has taken over the starting role, will be able to bring the team the Korean Series trophy.