LG Twins right-hander Casey Kelly started the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League home game against the NC Dinos at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 26th. He allowed five hits, struck out one and allowed three runs in six innings. He laid the groundwork for his 6-3 come-from-behind victory. LG swept the series against NC for the first time in 749 days after the three consecutive games in Changwon on May 6-8, 2022. He has won four consecutive games, jumping to third place.메이저놀이터
Kelly achieved his sixth quality start of the season (more than six innings and less than three earned runs in QS). In addition, he has secured his first win in seven games since the game against the Doosan Bears (one run scored in seven innings). It is his second win (six losses) this season. He lowered his ERA from 5.72 to 5.60.
He pitched 89 (strikes 62). He pitched four-seam fastballs (40), curves (20), sliders (12), forkballs (10), changeups (4), and two-seam fastballs (3). His maximum speed was 147 km/h.
He was the only player who allowed three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Catcher Heo Do-hwan’s missed throw to the second base, blocked the ball well, and center fielder Park Hae-min’s catch error overlapped. Kelly did his part by finishing the top of the fifth and sixth innings with three outs, respectively. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop also complimented the team, saying, “Kelly did a good job as a starter.”
“I’m very happy to win this game. I’m very satisfied that it helped my team win after a long time,” Kelly said after the victory. “Our players played really good games this week. I think we were able to win because each pitcher played his part. It took some time until our second win of this season, but I’m still happy.”
From the Lotte Giants on the 18th of last month to the Hanwha Eagles on the 21st of last month, he pitched in six games and suffered five losses. During this period, he made two quality starts, but some games caused him to lose due to massive losses.
“As I am spending my sixth season (in Korea), I think there are good times and bad times. I had a difficult game recently, but the season is long and I think there is enough room for rebound,” Kelly said. “If I always concentrate every day and do my best in what I can, I will be in the position I want to be at the end. Rather than feeling pressure, I focused on those areas.”
Why did he struggle so far? “When I had a tough game, the ratio of breaking balls was quite high. I made it difficult for me,” Kelly said. “I thought simply about what I can do the best on my own. He had fastball control and aggressive pitching.” “This time, I focused on throwing a lot of strikes and throwing aggressive pitching. I paid more attention to fastball command and control, and that’s good,” he added.
“We need to change the pitching design. We need to increase the weight of curveballs and forkballs. Fastball has lost its speed, and this is because we saw the answer (unfortunate) last year due to its fastball-oriented pattern,” Yeom Kyung-yeop, manager of the team, said of Kelly. “In the ABS system, Kelly’s curveball is effective but he doesn’t use it very often. With that curve, we need to maximize the fastball performance. We need to change the design completely to technique-based pitching rather than power pitching. Of course, we can’t force him to do so.”
Kelly said, “The coach has a point. During my five-year career in the KBO league, I thought about what made me successful. I think I succeeded because I used my fastball well,” adding, “I think the command and control that used my body, outside, top and bottom, left and right were done well. I think it will be helpful to focus on what I can do well.”
“The ratio of fastballs to curves is almost the same. The ratio of fastballs to curves is increasing,” he said. “That’s how I am managing the game. I will continue to use curveball since it is my ultimate ball, and I will also use forkballs even more considering the situation.” Kelly said, “As the coach said, fastball speed has dropped by 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h). As the players continue to play, the speed will rise to the average speed. I don’t worry.”
The team performed better in the second half of the season than in most of the seasons in Korea. “I think I will be able to rebound this year as well,” Kelly said. “I can go back to what I used to know about Casey Kelly,” adding, “I’m testing fork balls in the first half, but sometimes they don’t work and sometimes they don’t work. This is the process to find out when to throw them to be effective. If you find an answer, you will come back as Casey Kelly, as you know him. “I believe in myself. I’m confident.”