The KBO 48-win ace created a major league reverse export myth. Through the demonstration game, he was virtually ready to join the WBC U.S. national team.
Merrill Kelly (35) is an indispensable figure when discussing the history of major league reversals in the KBO League. She was named by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, but had no major league record. She disappeared at the end of 2014, and her life changed in 2015 when she joined the SK Wyverns of the KBO League.
Kelly played for SK for 4 years and made a big success with 48 wins, 32 losses and an average ERA of 3.86 in 119 games. In 2017, he won 16 wins and completely filled the gap of Kwang-Hyun Kim (SSG), who was away due to Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation. In 2018, he also won 12 wins, and helped SK win the last Korean Series.
Such Kelly signed a 2+2 year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2018-2019 Major League FA market. His first two-year contract was for $5.5 million. However, in 2019 he was not bad with an ERA of 13-14 and an ERA of 4.42, and even in the shortened season in 2020, he was fine with 3-2 and an ERA of 2.59 in 5 games.
Eventually, Arizona ran into a +2-year contract. He spent four years on a $15 million contract with a $9.5 million contract added. In the 2021 season, it slowed down to 7 wins and 11 losses and an average ERA of 4.44, but last year it was good with 13 wins and 8 losses and an average ERA of 3.37 in 33 games. In the end, he succeeded in signing a two-year, $18 million contract extension before ending his 2+2 year contract with Arizona. After his return to the major leagues, he signed a contract worth 33 million dollars (approximately 43 billion won).메이저놀이터
In the process, Kelly also made great progress. He improved the perfection of his moving fastball and sharpened his changeup. It is not easy to survive in the major leagues with speed, so it is a successful case by increasing the power of the breaking ball. As such efforts add up, he becomes a member of the US national team at the upcoming WBC. He recently gave up simulated pitching against Kiwoom hitters who used Arizona’s camp.
Kelly started the 2023 major league home demonstration game against the Seattle Mariners held at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA on the 4th (hereinafter Korean time), losing pitcher with 2 hits, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks and 1 run in 2.1 innings. It’s gone. Arizona’s 3-6 loss. But the content wasn’t bad. It was his first real match in a long time, so the meaning of tuning his senses was strong.
The United States of Group C will start the race to win the WBC, starting with the first round game against England at 11:00 on the 12th. After that, he warmed up against Mexico, Canada and Colombia. A match that can be met after the semifinals against Korea in Miami. Will a rematch between Kelly and Korean batters happen? Another point to watch for this WBC.
Leave a Reply