SEOUL - The LG Twins, defending champions of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), announced on Saturday that they will part ways with veteran pitcher Casey Kelly, making his final appearance against the Doosan Bears. This marks the end of Kelly's significant tenure with the team, during which he became the longest-serving foreign player both in the league this season and in the franchise's history.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the decision comes as Kelly has struggled to maintain his past performance levels this season, posting a 5-8 record and a 4.51 ERA over 19 starts. Despite a strong showing in previous seasons, including a career ERA of 3.08, Kelly's performance in 2024 has not met expectations. The announcement was made following what was intended to be Kelly's farewell game, which was unfortunately cut short due to rain. Kelly pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings before the game was called off, and these stats will not be recorded.
Replacing Kelly will be former major leaguer Elieser Hernandez, recently of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. Hernandez is expected to bring a strong command of his fastball and breaking pitches to the Twins, who are currently second in the league standings. The team has expressed confidence that Hernandez will fill the role of a dominant, front-end starter as they push towards the postseason.