After 5 1/2 years pitching in Korea, Casey Kelly returns to MLB with Reds

SARASOTA — There wasn’t one word lost in translation, even if few were exchanged between Casey Kelly and LG Twins CEO Kim In-Seog. Few were necessary.

The former Sarasota High baseball and football star hadn’t pitched particularly well this season for the Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). And the team wasn’t about to wait until he did.

But the two-sport athlete, who turned down a football scholarship to Tennessee to play baseball, believes everything happens for a reason. And the way the 34-year-old Kelly now looks at his release from the Twins, not only did it give him a chance to play for his dad, it was the obstacle unexpectedly removed from his path back to the majors.

If you look at Cincinnati's box score from its Saturday night game at Pittsburgh, you will see a "Kelly" having pitched three scoreless innings of relief in the Reds' 10-2 victory. That Kelly even picked up the save.

Yes, after a hiatus of nearly six years, Casey Patrick Kelly, the 2008 first-round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox, is back where he started. On a MLB mound.

"Yes, 100 percent, my release from Korea was a blessing in disguise," Kelly said after learning of his promotion to the Reds. "Baseball has taught me that you need a few rainy days to appreciate the sunny ones. I'm just thankful for the opportunity to pitch at the highest level."

He's staying: After finest pro season, Sarasota's Casey Kelly signs one-year deal to remain in Korea

A chance to play for his dad

After Kelly was released, he was placed on waivers for seven days. That required Kelly and his wife, Ariel, to remain in Korea. But when no other KBO team claimed him, the couple returned to their home in Gilbert, Arizona. The time the two spent in the air breathed life back into his baseball career. His agent worked out a deal for Kelly with the Reds, who needed starting pitching help in AAA Louisville, where a certain manager, last name Kelly, first name Pat, called the shots.

“Once we were in the air, the deal got done with the Reds,” Casey Kelly said. “The next day, I went to the Reds’ complex and got a physical and played catch. I came home on a Thursday, and by Monday, I was in Louisville. I always wanted to play for my dad, but I also think the opportunity here, every team needs pitching and pitching is at such a premium. So dad being here, it seemed like the best spot to me to get a chance to go up to the big leagues.”

Father and son have faced each other before. After Casey Kelly was drafted by the Red Sox, who made the shortstop/pitcher a full-time hurler, he was assigned to their Gulf Coast League team. At the time, Pat Kelly was the manager of the GCL Reds. And when Kelly was a member of the San Francisco Giants and would pitch against the Reds, he could look into the Cincinnati dugout and see his dad, the team’s bench coach.

“It’s very surreal,” Pat Kelly said. “You always want your children to do well and have success. You’re usually rooting for them from the stands, or maybe on TV or video. This is a lot different.” Said Casey Kelly, “It doesn’t feel awkward being in the same locker room, or on the field with him because that’s just what I grew up with. It might be weird when he comes out to take me out of the game for the first time. I’m not going to want to give him the ball.”

But once Kelly was in Louisville, the wheels to his return to the bigs began to turn faster. He made one start for the Bats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Reds, then a second. In total, he pitched eight innings, allowing eight hits and four runs. Kelly was preparing for his third start with Louisville when he got the news from his dad. A plane ticket would take him from Louisville to Pittsburgh, where he would join his new Reds teammates.

"This all happened so fast," Kelly said. "I had two outings in AAA, and I was getting used to the (bigger) baseball and the pitch clock. I didn't know if I was ready, but my dad gave me the confidence that I was."

Casey Kelly envisioned returning from Korea to give MLB another shot, but not under these circumstances. He was the longest-serving foreign player in Twins history and is considered the finest foreign player in team history. Kelly is also the first and only foreign pitcher to win the Korean Series with the Twins. At the time of his release, he was 5-8, with a 4.51 ERA, a decline from his first five years with LG, when he averaged nearly 14 wins and 175 innings pitched.

Once Kelly’s surprise at being released evaporated, it was replaced by something else. Fear. Fear that the Twins’ release would double as the end of his career. “Of course,” he said. “I’m 34. I kind of saw myself retiring in Korea, whether it was this year, or two years out. I know how competitive it is in the States and how it’s hard to get jobs, especially this time of year.”

As it turned out, Kelly's fear was unfounded.

A long and winding baseball road

When Kelly left for Korea, he did so as a pitcher with a history of injuries, and one equipped with a fastball and curve, and little else. But with the Twins, Kelly learned the slider and change-up. He also matured from a thrower into a pitcher. He returned from Korea armed with more weapons than when he left.

Change speeds, throw strikes, pitch to contact, utilize the fielders behind you.

Casey Kelly's blueprint for MLB survival.

“The name of the game," he said. "I feel like I’m more of a complete pitcher now than when I originally went over. I think the only thing that changed is the age. I still feel young; my body is moving really well, so I think it was kind of a good time to come back and see what I could do. I might not throw 96 or 97 mph, but I can definitely navigate through a lineup three or four times, throw strikes, get deep into the game, and give my team a chance to win. I think as long as my body is good and my mind is good, I think I’m going to do it until people stop calling.”

Pat Kelly’s youngest son then pondered his long and winding baseball road.

“It’s been such a great journey," Casey Kelly said, "and I hope that there’s plenty more left in it.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: After 5 1/2 years pitching in Korea, Casey Kelly returns to MLB with Reds