SI

Rays’ Kevin Kelly Threw a Pitch With So Much Movement That Fans Wondered How It Was Legal

This pitch by Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Kevin Kelly was so filthy.

Kevin Sweeney

Rays’ Kevin Kelly Threw a Pitch With So Much Movement That Fans Wondered How It Was Legal
Rays’ Kevin Kelly Threw a Pitch With So Much Movement That Fans Wondered How It Was Legal /
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Perhaps no organization in Major League Baseball is better at developing young pitchers than the Tampa Bay Rays. One of the newest examples: Rookie right-hander Kevin Kelly, who showed off a filthy sweeping breaking ball during Tuesday’s win over the Angels.

Kelly came from obscurity as a Rule 5 draft choice last December, but has become a key cog in the Rays' bullpen. Tuesday may have been the day he becomes a household name among baseball fans though, as he snapped off a pitch with a ridiculous 21 inches of horizontal break to strike out Brett Phillips in the seventh inning.

Here’s a look at the brain-bending pitch:

 Perfection.

The seemingly unhittable pitch may or may not have caught the zone, but a pitch that good deserved the punchout call it received. Fans were certainly wowed by the pitch:

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Kevin Sweeney
KEVIN SWEENEY

Kevin Sweeney is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college basketball and the NBA draft. He joined the SI staff in July 2021 and also serves host and analyst for The Field of 68. Sweeney is a Naismith Trophy voter and ia member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

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