Boston Red Sox Reliever Zack Kelly Returns Home (9–5-23)
By: Joey Raymond
Headline Photo Credit: Katie Lovell-LMS Network
Game Preview:
SALEM, VA–Homecoming, redemption, excitement. These are the words buzzing in the minds of Salem Red Sox fans tonight as Zack Kelly makes his first professional appearance in the Roanoke Valley tonight. Zack Kelly is a reliever for the Boston Red Sox making a rehab start for the Salem Sox, against the Carolina Mudcats after recovering from ulnar nerve transposition revision in his right elbow back in May. Kelly was born in neighboring Roanoke, Virginia, and went to Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville. That’s approximately 25 minutes from the ballpark where the Salem Red Sox play. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Athletics in 2017, spent one year there, and then switched to the Los Angeles Angels organization, where he spent 2 seasons. After that he moved to the Red Sox organization, where he flew through the minors, making his major league debut in 2022. The rehab assignment from Kelly marks the first time this season Salem will see a player rehabbing from the MLB club.
The Salem Red Sox have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Mudcats currently sit in first place in the division. The Salem Red Sox look to play spoiler for the Carolina Mudcats this week. In theory, the Fredericksburg Nationals could make the playoffs if they pick up some wins against the Delmarva Shorebirds, and the Mudcats pick up some losses. The Mudcats want to clinch a playoff berth while in Salem this week. The Carolina Mudcats come into this game with a 36-24 record while the Red Sox come into this game with a reverse record of 24-36.
Game Recap:
Overall, the rehab start may not have been what Zack Kelly wanted. Kelly went out and seemed to struggle with his command a bit. He only collected one out, while giving up a run and one hit, as well as walking three batters. The hometown kid did receive a glowing reception when walking off the mound though as the fans gave him a standing ovation. The rehab plan as it stands right now says that Kelly will pitch on both Friday and Sunday. Kelly hopes to have more success in those appearances but I do believe this was a good first outing and is something to build on.
As for the rest of the game, the Carolina Mudcats would strike first blood in this one off of the run Kelly gave up. This came after a walk to the first batter, of which he stole second and third after getting on. He then would score on a ground ball out. In the top of the second inning, the Mudcats would score again, this time off of a wild pitch, bringing the score to 2-0. We would see a pitching duel for the next couple of innings, as the next run in this one didn’t come until the top of the sixth. Jose Sibrian would fly out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Jhostynxon Garcia. This allows runner Dylan O’Rae to score. Shortly after that, the Mudcats would pull off a double steal to score once again, bringing the lead to 4-0. We wouldn’t see any scoring again until the eighth inning when Carolina Mudcats catcher, Jose Sibrian hit a massive 2-run home run, giving them a 6-0 lead. The Red Sox do try to make a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a run off of a double steal to bring it to 6-1 but ultimately that’s all they can muster as the Mudcats slam the door, finishing off the Red Sox 6-1.
Overall, it was a pretty somber night for the Red Sox, but they’ll try to get some swagger back in the rest of this six-game series against the Mudcats. For the Mudcats, they look to continue their dominance and solidify their place in the playoffs. After all, their “magic number” is down to two games. If they can manage two wins, and the Lynchburg Hillcats and Fredricksburg Nationals can pick up some losses, they’ll clinch the playoffs within the next couple of days.
