Kelly thinks twice, then plays hero
PHILADELPHIA » Ty Kelly has played the unlikely role of hero before in this unlikely season with the Phillies. But for the first time the 29-year-old career utility man added an extra helping of drama, getting his first game-winning walk-off hit Saturday night as the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3.
Kelly’s knock into the left-center field gap in the 11th inning scored Tommy Joseph from third base as the somewhat rejuvenated team won its third straight game. Ironically, Kelly almost didn’t give himself a chance to take his turn in a hero’s spotlight. He had other ideas as he stood in with the bases loaded and two outs against hardthrowing Braves reliever Rex Brothers.
“I’d never faced him before. So I was thinking about bunting, actually, because (Braves third baseman Freddy) Freeman was back,” Kelly said. “Pretty much just made a snap decision to not bunt. And then I swung.”
That’s when all happiness broke out for the Phillies (37-64), who have won seven of their last 10 games. Just as they’re unaccustomed to such success, Kelly isn’t exactly used to this walk-off thing.
“I just kind of naturally was taking a turn to second because the ball was in the gap,” he said. “And then it kind of went through my head that there was nowhere else to go. So I touched first and I think (catcher Andrew) Knapp was the first one there to give me a big hug. It’s always fun to have that kind of camaraderie and teammates to rally around.”
But it may not have been if he had bunted, no matter if Freeman was back or not, since Joseph isn’t the most fleet of Phillies feet.
“Yeah, exactly,” Kelly said. “I’m trying to get my RBIs up.”
It was Odubel Herrera who did that, getting a run-scoring single in the fourth. Then after Aaron Altherr knocked in a run in the eighth to cut the Braves lead to 3-2, Herrera tied it up with a oneout homer in the bottom of the ninth off Atlanta’s Jim Johnson.
That set the stage for the Kelly guy.
“Herrera drove in a big run, Altherr drove in a big run, then Herrera hit that game-tying home run, which was outstanding,” happy manager Pete Mackanin said. “Then we went to the tie-breaker — Ty Kelly. “I had to use that.” That piece of comedy made a winner of Hector Neris, who with a little help from a sharp Phillies defense pitched two scoreless innings. That was part of a standout collective effort by five Phils relievers, including just promoted Jessen Therrien. Jerad Eickhoff had started and lasted five innings, allowing three runs, but only one earned.