Merrill Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks) took the mound for the first time in his career in the World Series (WS, 4 wins in 7 games) and gave the team a valuable first win. She also broke a record that has only occurred four times in WS history.

MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball (MLB), highlighted the performance of Kelly, who played well as a starting pitcher among the Arizona players who won Game 2 of the WS on the 30th (Korean time). In the second game of the WS held on the 29th, Kelly led the team to a 9-1 victory with a good pitching in 7 innings, allowing 3 hits (1 home run), no walks, 9 strikeouts, and 1 run.

It was a precious fight. Arizona suffered a shocking overtime loss in the first game despite losing ace Jack Gallon. They had 6 more wins in the regular season, and many evaluated that they lost momentum due to the upset loss against Texas, which outclassed Arizona in attack power.스포츠토토

However, Kelly’s perfect pitch immediately regained momentum. MLB.com reported, “After losing Game 1, Arizona coach Tony Loblo said, ‘If Kelly plays well in Game 2 and gives his teammates a chance to catch their breath, we will be able to get back on our feet.'” Kelly said this in Game 2. “I made it a reality,” he said.

Kelly is a pitcher who is considered a representative KBO League ‘reverse export success story.’ He played in the minor league under the Tampa Bay Rays, but never made it to the big league before choosing to go to the SK Wyverns in 2015. On the Korean stage, he recorded 48 wins, 32 losses, and an average ERA of 3.86, and after leading SK to the championship in 2018, he received a big league contract from Arizona and succeeded in making a golden comeback. He, who had no MLB records, played as a starting pitcher for five seasons until this year and became a pitcher who supported the team. Arizona, which had not experienced fall baseball since 2017, finally returned to the fall stage this year and is attempting to win the championship for the first time in 22 years since 2001, when it won its first championship.

In an interview with MLB.com, Kelly said, “I always dreamed of winning the WS, but that was it. It took a lot of effort and I needed a team to throw the ball to. I am truly grateful to the Arizona team for giving me that opportunity. “I give it to you,” he said.

Kelly’s perfect game is rare even in history. Since the WS was first held in 1903, the pitchers with more than 9 strikeouts and no walks in a game are Don Newcomb (Game 1 in 1949), Roger Clemens (Game 2 in 2000), Cliff Lee (Game 1 in 2009), and Clayton Kershaw (Game 1 in 2017). It is only the second game). They are all aces who represented their era. Among them, Clemens (38 at the time) was the only one to record at the age of 35 or older, like Kelly.

Arizona uses rookie Brandon Pott to take the lead in the series. Pott, who had 3 wins, 9 losses, and an ERA of 5.72 in the regular season, has been performing better than Gallen and Kelly in the postseason with an ERA of 2.70 in 4 games.

The situation in Texas is the exact opposite of Arizona. Max Scherzer, who won three career Cy Young Awards and has a career record of 214 wins, 108 losses and an ERA of 3.15, will step up. Scherzer had a better record than Pott in the regular season, with 13 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 3.77. However, his performance this fall is only 1 loss and an ERA of 9.45.