WATCH: LA Dodgers Pitcher Sparks Bench Clearing Fracas and Goes Viral for Hilarious Taunt of a Houston Astros Player
Bob Levey/Getty Images
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly went viral for mocking Houston Astros star Carlos Correa after striking him out to end the sixth inning, calling him a “cheater” and telling him “nice swing, b*tch.”
In the frame, Kelly nailed Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in the back with a 96 mph fastball and took a shot at Correa near his head, which missed because the shortstop hit the ground to avoid contact.
In that same at-bat with Correa, Kelly struck him out with a slider out of the zone and started making faces as he walked off the mound. Video shows the right-handed pitcher calling him every name in the book before Correa started making his way toward the Dodgers dugout.
Benches clear during the Dodgers/Astros game after Joe Kelly and Carlos Correa exchange some words ?
(via @MLBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/LQgBdDPhtt
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 29, 2020
Nice comeback over the Asterisks and thank you Joe Kelly pic.twitter.com/tRGI8n4hXP
— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) July 29, 2020
This very well could be a new ritual for the Astros following a cheating scandal that was linked to their 2018 World Series title. In January, Major League Baseball confirmed a sign-stealing scheme that featured center field cameras and banging trash cans. The team lost several draft picks, and Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were smacked with a one-year suspension. No players were punished.
While MLB’s shortened 60-game season could be in peril following an outbreak in the Miami Marlins organization, the Dodgers and Astros are still a probable World Series matchup.
So when Kelly was given a three-run lead against Houston on Tuesday night, he wanted to make a statement toward two of the Astros best players.
“It is what it is,” Kelly said after the game. “I walked a couple of guys and was able to get out of the inning.”
