Kelly's 73 Career Wins for LG, and a Virtual Official Retirement… "My Wife Gets Emotional" at Jamsil Birthday First Pitch

Kelly, LG's all-time winningest foreign pitcher (73 wins), threw the ceremonial first pitch at Jamsil on Oct. 4, his 37th birthday. He all but made his retirement as a player official and left open the possibility of returning to LG as a coach.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Summary in Three Lines

Before throwing the ceremonial first pitch at the LG-KIA game at Jamsil on Oct. 4, Kelly said, "You can take it that I've retired as a baseball player."
Kelly's 73 career wins with LG are the most by a foreign pitcher in team history, 33 more than second-place Henry Sosa's 40 wins.
On the day of the first pitch, LG lost to KIA 5-6 in a comeback defeat, extending its losing streak to 7 games and dropping to 4th place.

Before the LG-KIA game at Jamsil Stadium on Oct. 4, 2026, Casey Kelly took the mound. It was his 37th birthday. It was his first return to Jamsil in about 2 years and 2 months, since leaving LG in July 2024.

Kelly's Retirement Virtually Official, Words Spoken at Jamsil

The question is whether Kelly has really retired. According to SPOTV NEWS, on the day of the first pitch he said, "You can take it that I've retired as a baseball player." The fact that he is currently working as an intern coach in the Cincinnati Reds' instructional league points the same way. However, this is a remark from his own interview, not an official announcement from the club or the league.

OSEN reported that Kelly said it would be an honor to work for LG if given the chance during this visit. He added the caveat, though, that family matters would also have to be considered.

LG Falls to 4th on 7-Game Losing Streak, 5-6 Comeback Loss on Kelly's First-Pitch Day

LG lost to KIA 5-6 in a comeback defeat that day. It gave up 3 runs in the top of the 9th while leading by 2 runs. The loss left LG on a 7-game skid, and it also slid from 3rd to 4th place (as of the end of the game on 2026.10.04). After the game, with the stands mostly empty, Kelly greeted the fans who remained. According to Star News, he told the younger players, "This is a team that can overcome hard times."

Jamsil Stadium is slated for demolition and relocation after the 2026 season. On the 6th, in an interview carried by MyDaily, Kelly said, "My wife gets emotional, she was about to cry." Manager Yeom Kyoung-youb called Kelly the best foreign player he has seen in his coaching career.

Kelly's 73 Wins, a 33-Win Gap Over Sosa's 40

Kelly pitched 989⅓ innings in 163 games over 6 seasons from 2019 to 2024. His record was 73 wins, 46 losses, with a 3.25 ERA and 753 strikeouts. Before Kelly, the most wins by a foreign pitcher in LG history was Henry Sosa's (41) 40. 73 wins is about 1.8 times 40.

Rank	Player	Career Record with LG	Years with LG
1	Casey Kelly	73-46, ERA 3.25	2019~2024
2	Henry Sosa	40 wins	2015~2018
3	Tyler Wilson	33-19, ERA 3.40	2018~2020
4	Adam Plutko	26-8, ERA 2.40	2022~2023

Kelly led the league in wins in 2022 with 16. When LG won the combined championship for the first time in 29 years in 2023, he was the winning pitcher in Game 5 of the Korean Series.

Kelly's Total Contract Value, from $1 Million to $1.8 Million

Kelly was born on Oct. 4, 1989, in Sarasota, Florida. In 2008, he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox with the 30th overall pick in the 1st round and received a $3 million signing bonus. However, his MLB record before joining LG was only 2 wins and 11 losses in 26 games, with a 5.46 ERA.

His total contract value rose 80% from $1 million in his first year to $1.8 million for the 2023 season. His re-signing for the 2024 season was at $1.5 million, a cut of $0.3 million, but that deal made Kelly the club's longest-tenured foreign pitcher (6 straight seasons). However, in July 2024, the decision was made to replace him because of poor performance. According to Hankook Ilbo, a farewell ceremony was held after the July 20 game against Doosan at Jamsil that year was halted by heavy rain, and Kelly shed tears there.

As of the end of the game on 2026.10.04, LG is in 4th place and on a 7-game losing streak in the final stretch of the regular season, so the standings may change. Jamsil Stadium will enter the demolition and relocation process once this season ends.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How old is Kelly?

He was born on Oct. 4, 1989, so he is 37. Oct. 4, 2026, the day he threw the first pitch at Jamsil, was his 37th birthday.

Q. Has Kelly officially retired?

He himself said, "You can take it that I've retired as a baseball player," but this is not an official announcement from the club or the league. He is currently working as an intern coach in the Cincinnati Reds' instructional league.

Q. What is Kelly's career record with LG?

Over 6 seasons from 2019 to 2024, he recorded 163 games, 989⅓ innings, 73 wins and 46 losses, a 3.25 ERA and 753 strikeouts. His 73 wins are the most by a foreign pitcher in LG history.

Related Official Sites

LG Twins Official Website — The official website run by the LG Twins club
KBO Official Website (Records Room) — Check career records of all-time foreign pitchers, including Kelly

Featured image · Archival photo · Not an on-site photo of the game in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (SD Dirk on Flickr), CC BY 2.0