Kelly uses power arm to carve big-moment role

NEW YORK — Yankee Stadium had gone so quiet that when Joe Kelly took one step into the dugout and slapped his manager five, the smack could be heard in the second deck.

Forget the blistering fastball that got all the attention, it was the slider to finish off Aaron Judge on Tuesday night that really showcased Kelly’s big-moment value in the Red Sox bullpen.

He’s not the closer, he’s not the setup man, and he’s not the undrafted lefty specialist who has become one of the roster’s best feel-good stories. Kelly’s the other guy, the one who didn’t have a defined role out of spring training, who has emerged as a crucial middleinning force.

“When he’s been rested, he’s a highleverage guy,” Sox manager John Farrell said. “He’s done a very good job. Even though it might be different than Craig Kimbrel in the way he’s gone about it, still, he’s been a productive guy late in games, particularly with a lead.”

Of the nine Red Sox pitchers with at least 20 innings this season, Kelly ranks third in WHIP behind only Kimbrel and Chris Sale. He’s walked 11 batters, most of any Red Sox reliever, but opponents have hit just .191 against him this season.

In high-leverage situations, according to Baseball Reference, his opponents’ batting average has dipped to .050 with just one hit in 20 at-bats.

When the season started, Kelly was pitching mostly when the Red Sox were behind, or when they were ahead by a lot, or when they needed multiple innings. Most recently, though, he’s become the next-in-line for the set-up role, more often pitching in close situations to bridge the gap to Matt Barnes and Kimbrel.

“He’s done some things with his delivery to create some deception,” Farrell said. “I think he’s gotten a better and more true understanding of when to use his curveball to lefties, slider to righties. He’s knowing more about himself in those late-inning roles. Power arm that’s an asset.”

That power arm was on display Tuesday night when his fastball reached 103.5 mph on the Yankee Stadium scoreboard. Statcast later changed the reading to 102.2 but that’s intense velocity either way.

All four fastballs he used during a key showdown with Judge — the league’s home run leader, who at the time represented the tying run with two outs in the seventh — reached into the 100s.

“It wasn’t something (like) I was trying to go up there and trying to blow it out,” Kelly said. “It was just heat of the moment, high intensity situation. Like I said, one of the best hitters in the league. Try to come at him with all my stuff that I have.”

The Sox are finding ways to use Kelly’s stuff in big spots to get big outs.

“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” Kimbrel said. “And I’m sure he’ll let us know about his (102.2) for the next week or so.”