GLENDALE, Ariz. — Joe Kelly and Tony La Russa have some history, and some World Series ring history at that.
When Kelly was pitching for the Red Sox and La Russa was in the team’s front office in 2018, former White Sox general manager Roland Hemond threw out a first pitch at Fenway Park and La Russa was asked to catch it. La Russa had an old pancake style mitt with him that he didn’t want to use, so he borrowed Kelly’s glove, and Hemond’s first pitch went off without a hitch.
Or so La Russa thought. Unbeknownst to him, one of his three World Series rings got stuck in Kelly’s glove. All La Russa knew was that he had lost it somewhere that day, and it wasn’t found by Kelly until the next day at his locker.
“I put my hand in it and, Oh man, that hurts,” Kelly said Monday after the White Sox made official their two-year deal for the right-handed reliever. “I look in there and right where my ring finger goes in my glove, it was his World Series ring. I went to my PR guy and I was like ‘Hey, I’ve got Tony’s ring. Tell him I want 50-grand or I’m not giving it back.”
Did he get a $50,000 reward?
“No. He just said, ‘I want my ring back,’ ” said Kelly, who was joking about the money.
Kelly did receive no-joke money from the Sox, though, $7 million this season and $9 million in 2023 to consummate an acquisition La Russa was instrumental in. La Russa, who managed the Cardinals in what everyone thought was his final season in 2011 — which brought his third ring — liked what he saw of Kelly in spring training that year and hasn’t stopped liking.
Featuring a fastball averaging 97.7 mph with the Dodgers last season, Kelly posted a 2.86 ERA, although it ended with Kelly walking off the mound with a trainer in Game 5 of the NLCS. A ground ball pitcher with strikeout stuff, he has been one of the top relievers in baseball the last two seasons.
“His first big league camp was 2011, and I can remember to this day,” La Russa said after the Sox’ second day of official spring training Monday. “I said to (pitching coach Dave) Duncan, ‘Wow, man.’ We didn’t know about him.”
Eleven seasons and 40 postseason games later, Kelly is reunited with La Russa. He’s all in about playing for him, he’s stoked about the arms in the Sox bullpen and the team he’s joining.
“Tony is a little bit more old school, which is kind of what I like,” Kelly said.
“This team is right here. I’ve been there [in the World Series] three times, lucky enough to be on some great teams and win it twice [Red Sox in 2014 and Dodgers in 2020]. This is going to be one hell of a team.”
Kelly, who dealt with a biceps nerve issue last season, says he is healthy now and ready to go now and was throwing pain free Monday, but Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the Sox will be cautious and slow roll Kelly into the season, in part because of the shortened camp. Kelly won’t start the season on the opening day roster.
“If it was up to me, I’d be trying to throw off the mound today,” Kelly said. “[But] the ease-in process is probably safe.”
The Sox have been through a similar issue with Aaron Bummer, are well versed on how to handle it and had no reservations about investing the money in the 33-year old with 11 years experience.
“If we had a normal spring, maybe he’d break with us,” Hahn said. “We’ll have to see how the next several weeks of his build back goes. We knew that going in and this again was an acquisition for the length of this season and the next couple.”