Despite mixed results for the Red Sox, the start to the 2023 Major League Baseball season was great for one member of Boston's bullpen.
Zack Kelly, who signed his first pro contract for just $500, finally earned a spot on an Opening Day roster in 2023. After making his MLB debut on Aug. 29, 2022, Kelly put together a string of strong performances and carried those over into spring training. That was enough for the Red Sox to keep him on their 26-man roster and trust him as one of the middle-relief arms in their bullpen.
The 28-year-old was having a solid start to the year as well, as he entered Wednesday's loss to the Tampa Bay Rays with a 1.35 ERA across 6 2/3 innings pitched. Then, adversity hit once again.
Kelly left the loss with what the Red Sox described as right elbow pain. After delivering a pitch, the rookie bent over in clear discomfort and grabbed at his pitching arm, walking off the mound with manager Alex Cora and trainers shortly thereafter.
It was clearly an emotional moment for Kelly, who explained his feelings postgame.
"Definitely emotional for two reasons," Kelly said, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage. "One, because I care. I care about this game, these guys and I enjoy doing this. Two, just all the (expletive) I went through to get here. It's just a lot. Whenever something like that happens, you get emotional about it."
It was a long road to the bigs for Kelly, who after signing for pennies, being released twice and suffering an injury to his right elbow during the pandemic season of 2020, finally caught on in the Red Sox's minor league system. The organization even recognized his efforts, presenting him with the Lou Gorman Award in 2022, which is given annually to a Red Sox minor league player who has demonstrated dedication and perseverance in overcoming obstacles while working his way to the big-league team.
The Red Sox did not have a further update on his condition postgame, with Cora saying the plan was for Kelly to get imaging back in Boston on Friday.
The Red Sox will first make one last effort at breaking the Rays’ streak when they match up Thursday afternoon at Tropicana Field. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN or with NESN 360. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET.
