Did Joe Kelly Hit Former 2017 Astros' Jake Marisnick On Purpose?

The mere mention of the phrase "the 2017 Astros" to a Dodger fan is likely to illicit angry eyes or a few off-hand comments. It's a sore spot that will likely never go away for Dodger fans, and because of this, Joe Kelly endeared himself to Dodger fans after the Carlos Correa incident. Tuesday night, Kelly was facing former 2017 Astro Jake Marisnick. What happened was a 98-mph fastball that bounced right below Marisnick's shoulder and above his elbow. Was it intentional? Take a peek.

The first observation any time a player gets plunked is whether or not it was a breaking ball. Breaking pitches can commonly spin out of pitchers' hands wrong and it's not uncommon for a curveball to accidentally hit a batter on the pitcher's arm side.

This was not a curveball. Kelly throws hard, and a 98-mph heater hurts.

The second question is who the pitcher is. Unfortunately, Kelly is both prone for being accidentally wild, and occasionally intentionally wild. He's at his best though, when he's effectively wild.

Kelly was not a member of the 2017 Dodgers, but it's clear he has felt a sense of loyalty and camaraderie with his Dodger teammates. The Carlos Correa incident was a clear case of intentionally throwing at Correa, so it is hard to tell if this pitch to Marisnick was intentional. Unfortunately, Dodger fans also know that Kelly has a propensity to accidentally hit batters throughout his career. So the question remains unanswered.

Do other fans think it was intentional? You can read a lot of fan opinions here.

Joe Kelly plunks Jake Marisnick, who was a member of the 2017 Astros*.

No way this was intentional with 2 outs on an 0-2 count and the Dodgers holding on to a 2-0 lead in the 8th.

Or was it? Thoughts?

pic.twitter.com/KL0DTFTgLJ
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) September 29, 2021

The only thing we know for sure from that incident is that the Dodgers won that game, beating the Padres by a score of 2-1.