“Fans stay till the end, you’ll have a special place in my heart”
LG Twins foreign pitcher Casey Kelly’s farewell game was a no-game due to heavy rain. Kelly’s farewell ceremony after the game became a tearful affair.
The Doosan-LG game at Jamsil Stadium on Tuesday was canceled due to heavy rain in the third inning.
The rain began to fall in the top of the third inning, when Doosan’s offense took a 6-0 lead. LG starter Kelly gave up a single to Jeon Min-jae in the first inning, but got Jeong Soo-bin to ground out to third base. With two outs and two runners on base, the rain turned into a downpour and the umpires called the game.
After 20 to 30 minutes of heavy rain, Doosan fans chanted “No Game” and LG fans chanted “Play Game” in response.
The umpires continued to wait for more than 30 minutes, as the rain was forecast to stop around 8 p.m. At 7:56 p.m., the tarp began to be removed as the rain had almost stopped, and the Jamsil Stadium loudspeaker announced, “The game will be played at 8:35 p.m. after the grounds have been cleared.”
The game was suspended for well over an hour, but Kelly was scheduled to take the mound again. “He said he was going to pitch the entire inning,” an LG official said. Kelly warmed up in the bullpen and prepared to pitch.
At 8:25 p.m., the heavy rain returned. The field was again covered with a tarp, but the heavy rain forced the umpires to call a rainout at 8:29pm. The forecast called for more than 30 minutes of rain.
It was Kelly’s final appearance in the game. The team notified Kelly of the decision to release him on Nov. 19. LG signed a new foreign pitcher, Eliezer Hernandez.
“We have agreed to terms with new foreign pitcher Eliezer Hernandez for a total of $440,000,” LG announced on Tuesday. Hernandez, a native of Venezuela, made 메이저사이트 his major league debut with the Miami Marlins in 2018 and went 10-22 with a 5.10 ERA in 99 games in the big leagues. This season, he pitched in nine games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. He is 1-0 with a 6.32 ERA (11 runs in 15⅔ innings).
Even after being notified of his release, Kelly volunteered to make his scheduled start against the Doosan on the 20th, which was unusual. He pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, but his farewell game was canceled due to the no-game.
A rainout was declared, and Kelly’s farewell ceremony was held afterward. In the midst of a downpour, many LG fans stayed at the stadium to show their support for Kelly.
“I talked to my wife for the last time yesterday and decided to throw today. I didn’t realize it was my last game, so I thought, ‘Let’s do it in my bedroom, in front of the fans,’ and I wanted to do it with my teammates, who I’ve been with for five and a half years, and it’s always fun and exciting to pitch against Doosan, so I wanted to do it with them,” he said, explaining why he took the mound after being released.
When the rain delay ended, Kelly was ready to continue throwing as he waited for the game to resume. “When the second rain delay came, I knew it was my last,” Kelly said. What I’m thankful for is that I pitched two good innings and thanked my teammates for being there for me.”
Kelly was unaware of the post-game farewell ceremony. “I was very surprised,” Kelly said, ”I’ve never seen any of the foreign players that I’ve played with do a ceremony like that before. It’s been a special five and a half years, and I didn’t think there would be a ceremony at all. I tried not to cry, but when the ceremony started, the tears didn’t stop flowing. The fans waited and stayed in bad weather, so it will always be special in my heart. I’m grateful to the front office, and I’m grateful to be with my teammates.”
Kelly greeted the fans and took one last big bow before getting down on the ground. “I wasn’t prepared for that. I was just so thankful that the fans stayed until the end,” he said.