Merrill Kelly feels ready to face the Philadelphia noise after his experience in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). Kelly, who has a unique baseball career, having played in the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League and the Korean Baseball Organization League before returning to the majors, is in position to start the most important game of the year for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Kelly recalls his experience in the WBC, particularly a game against Venezuela in Miami, where the noise from the crowd was unlike anything he had ever experienced in baseball. He believes that the noise in Philadelphia will be just as intense, if not louder.
During the WBC, Kelly shared the locker room with three of his opponents in Tuesday’s game against the Phillies: JT Realmuto, Trea Turner, and Nick Castellanos. When asked if he saw anything about them that could help him in his outing on Tuesday, Kelly mentioned that he learned not to leave a changeup hanging with two strikes on Turner, referring to a grand slam that Turner hit against Venezuelan pitcher Silvino Bracho that turned the game around.
Kelly believes that facing his former teammates works for both sides, as Realmuto, who played with Kelly in the WBC, knows his pitching style. However, Kelly acknowledges that six months have passed since then, and both players have likely made adjustments. He expects it to be a fun competition against Realmuto, who he describes as a player who likes to attack the strike zone.
Kelly’s performance in the WBC was different from his later performance with the Diamondbacks. In the WBC, he allowed four runs in 4.1 innings, while with the Diamondbacks, he had an impressive 3.29 ERA over 30 outings, striking out 187 opponents in 177.2 innings. Kelly feels confident and ready to face the challenge of pitching in front of the loud Philadelphia crowd.