Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly apparently has an alter ego named Joseph who throws strikes. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Kelly’s alter ego has helped fix his control problems

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/26/21

It’s a well-known fact that left-handers and relievers are both a bit strange sometimes. Combine the two and you get people such as Joe Kelly, who definitely has some quirks to him.

Kelly battled control issues throughout 2020, walking a career-worst 6.3 batters per nine innings. Things have turned around in 2021, and through 16 innings, the Los Angeles Dodgers reliever’s walks per nine are a career-low 2.3.

To what does he owe this success? According to manager Dave Roberts, it’s the fact that Kelly has an alter ego, Joseph, who is a strike thrower.

Dave Roberts said Joe Kelly came up with his own alter ego Joseph. Joseph is a strike thrower.

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) June 26, 2021

Roberts had expanded on Kelly’s alter ego after Friday’s game.

“We call him Joseph now,” Roberts said, via Matthew Moreno of Dodger Blue. “He’s a strike thrower and a three-pitch guy; the fastball, curveball, changeup.”

Look, if it works, you can’t argue with results. So far, it’s working for Kelly, at least in the strike-throwing department. Now we just need to find out if this whole confrontation was the work of Joe or Joseph.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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