Merrill Kelly’s gem of an outing in Game 2 has made him the talk of baseball, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal took a look back at the right-hander’s unique path to the World Series stage.
Beginning his career in the Rays farm system, Kelly signed with the KBO League’s SK Wyverns and spent four seasons pitching in South Korea, despite feeling an urge to return to North American baseball halfway through that stint. Still, pitching in the KBO League sparked Kelly’s career to the point that Diamondbacks had interest in a free-agent deal during the 2018-19 offseason, and Kelly signed a two-year, $5.5M deal with club options attached for 2021 and 2022.
This was the only multiyear offer Kelly received that winter, so he jumped at the chance at some extra security as he made his MLB debut at age 30. Between that initial contract and a subsequent extension signed prior to the 2022 season, Kelly’s time in Arizona has now included five seasons, at least $32.5M in guaranteed salary and now a key role in the postseason.
Kelly has a 2.25 ERA over four starts and 24 innings in these playoffs and holds an interesting distinction as the first pitcher to earn a win in both the Korean Series (helping the Wyverns capture the 2018 title) and the World Series.
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