Fastball

Arizona Diamondbacks Pitcher Merrill Kelly Now Stands Beside Randy Johnson in Team History

Merrill Kelly delivered a gem on Thursday night against the Cincinnati Reds, putting him in the same class as 'The Big Unit' in Arizona Diamondbacks history.
Brady Farkas|
Arizona Diamondbacks Pitcher Merrill Kelly Now Stands Beside Randy Johnson in Team History
Arizona Diamondbacks Pitcher Merrill Kelly Now Stands Beside Randy Johnson in Team History

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Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Thursday night to beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2.

The game had massive implications in the National League playoff race as the Diamondbacks now have a 0.5 game lead for the third and final wild card spot. The Reds fell back to 0.5 games out of that spot.

While Corbin Carroll's eighth-inning go-ahead home run will get a lot of the attention, the historic pitching performance of Merrill Kelly should not be forgotten.

The veteran righty went 7.0 innings, surrendering just one hit, no runs, and no walks. He struck out 12 and lowered his season ERA to 2.97.

Per ESPN Stats & Info:

Merrill Kelly became the 2nd pitcher in Diamondbacks history with 10+ K, 0 walks and no more than 1 hit allowed, joining Randy Johnson in his 2004 perfect game

Any time you are mentioned with Johnson, you've done something special. 'The Big Unit' was the most intimidating pitcher of his era. He won 303 career games, earned induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, was a five-time Cy Young winner and a 10-time All-Star. He played 22 years in the big leagues with the Mariners, Astros, Diamondbacks, Giants, Yankees and Montreal Expos.

As for Kelly, he's in his fifth year in the big leagues, all with the Diamondbacks. He's 46-40 lifetime with a 3.77 ERA.

The Diamondbacks and Reds will play again on Friday night at Chase Field. 

First pitch is set for 9:40 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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