Joe Kelly makes pouty face at mural of Kelly making a pouty face at Astros
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly doesn’t regret taunting the Houston Astros. Kelly doubled down on his taunt Thursday while visiting a mural depicting his now famous pouty face from a benches-clearing incident in July.
What did Kelly do at the mural? He recreated his pouty face.
Joe Kelly. At his own mural. Making the face.
(Via @never1959) pic.twitter.com/qyJkrubHtD— 2020 Astros Shame Tour (@AsteriskTour) September 11, 2020
Kelly’s wife, Ashley, documented the family’s visit to the mural. They took a number of pictures in front of it.
The timing of the pictures is probably intentional. The Dodgers are set to begin a series against the Astros on Saturday. Kelly, 32, was just activated from the Injured List, but won’t appear in the series against the Astros because he still has to serve a five-game suspension.
Joe Kelly reignited feud with Astros in July
The incident that inspired the Kelly mural occurred in July, when the Dodgers and Astros faced off for the first time this season. Dodgers players carried a grudge against the Astros after it was revealed the Astros cheated during the 2017 season. The Astros beat the Dodgers in the World Series that year. The Astros claim they stopped cheating once the postseason began, but other teams around the league are skeptical.
When Kelly took the mound in the sixth inning of that game, he sent a message. A 3-0 pitch sailed behind Alex Bregman’s head. A few pitches later, Kelly nearly hit Carlos Correa with a curveball. Kelly stayed in the game since he didn’t actually hit any Astros batters.
As Kelly was walking off the field, however, the Astros yelled at him from the dugout. Kelly responded by making a pouty face at the Astros. Benches cleared. No punches were thrown, but suspensions were issued.
Kelly’s suspension — combined with the timing of his injury — makes it impossible for Kelly to pitch in the series against the Astros, which ends Sunday.
If Kelly is going to face the Astros against in 2020, that opportunity will come if both teams make it back to the World Series. We’re sure Kelly and the rest of the Dodgers won’t carry any baggage into that matchup if it happens.
More from Yahoo Sports:
