Merrill Kelly (37) of the Arizona Diamondbacks faced Lee Jung-hoo (27) of the San Francisco Giants and allowed a hit, but secured his fourth win of the season with an impressive performance.
On the 13th (Korean time), Kelly started the game against San Francisco at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, and delivered a stellar performance with 7 innings, 8 hits allowed, 8 strikeouts, and 1 run.
In the bottom of the first inning, Kelly struck out leadoff batters Mike Yastrzemski and Matt Chapman in succession but allowed a hit to Elliott Ramos. With 2 outs and a runner on first, Lee Jung-hoo faced Kelly and attempted a surprise bunt, but it was caught as a ground ball by the catcher. Kelly added 2 strikeouts in the second inning, creating a quick three outs.
Kelly recorded a quick three outs in the third inning as well. In the fourth, he caught leadoff batter Chapman with a fly out to center field but allowed a hit to Ramos. With 1 out and a runner on first, Kelly faced Lee Jung-hoo and threw a changeup at 88.7 mph (142.7 km/h), giving up a hit and putting himself in a 1 out, 1 and 3 base situation. However, he induced Wilmer Flores into a 4-6-3 double play, escaping the threat without allowing a run.
In the fifth inning, with Arizona leading 2-0, Kelly allowed a double to leadoff batter Willy Adames, then struck out Patrick Bailey swinging and caught Luis Matos with a foul fly to the first baseman, but he allowed a run-scoring single to Koss, allowing one run to score. However, he recorded a rundown on Koss, who was advancing to second base, preventing any further runs and ending the inning.
In the sixth inning with 2 outs, Kelly allowed a hit to Ramos and faced Lee Jung-hoo for the third time. He threw a four-seam fastball at 91.5 mph (147.3 km/h) high in the zone on the fifth pitch, and Lee Jung-hoo made contact, but the ball was caught as a flyout to left field. In the seventh inning, he allowed a hit to leadoff batter Flores and struck out Adames, but then allowed a hit to Bailey, putting him in a 1 out, 1 and 2 base situation. However, he struck out Matos and caught Koss with a fly out to second base, preventing any runs.
Kelly, who recorded 103 pitches, was replaced by Jalen Beeks in the eighth inning while Arizona was leading 2-1, ending his appearance for the day. If the game finishes this way, Kelly will earn his fourth win of the season.
Kelly and Lee Jung-hoo played together in the KBO League in 2017 and 2018. Afterward, Kelly advanced to Major League Baseball, and last season, Lee Jung-hoo also headed to the Major Leagues, but they had no face-offs. In their KBO League matchups, Lee Jung-hoo had 7 hits in 15 at-bats with 5 RBIs and 3 walks, showing a superior record, and in this game, he also secured a hit, but Kelly managed to secure the win condition with a 7-inning, 1-run performance.
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