Dodgers' Joe Kelly Revives Old Beef With Astros With NSFW Howling

Published|Updated

This dog can bark. Dodgers pitcher and unofficial enforcer Joe Kelly wasn't thrilled to see one of his guys get plunked by an Astros pitcher, so he answered in signature fashion.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 25: Joe Kelly #99 of Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the top of the fifth inning during the regular season game against the San Francisco Giantsat Dodger Stadium on July 25, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)

During Saturday's matchup against Houston, LA's Gavin Lux was hit by a pitch. Lux was batting third in the lineup for an injured Dodgers team. Surprise Astros ace Ronel Blanco was responsible for the hit on Lux, who stayed in the game, which prompted Kelly to start barking some NSFW comments at the mound.

"Hey p***y!" Kelly shouted, knowing he'd revive a longtime feud with the Astros and their fans.

Houston had the last laugh Saturday, winning 7-6, and rained boos down on Kelly on Sunday afternoon for Game 3 of their weekend series.  "They weren’t loud enough, honestly," Kelly said after the game, which the Dodgers won, 6-2. Houston won the series, 2-1.

There's also something to be said about Kelly's dugout shouts, which by most fans' estimation, is a fairly safe place to start a fight with an opposing player on the team.

In 2020, Kelly famously stirred beef with then-Astros superstar Carlos Correa — still in the aftermath of the Astros' World Series cheating scandal. Correa chirped at Kelly during an at-bat before Kelly struck out Correa and gave the Astro a pouting face. For the most part, Correa has won his at-bats against ol' Joe Cool.

Astros fans haven't forgotten the Dodger's antics, nor the fact that Houston has been successfully swinging at Kelly's stuff. 

According to USA Today's Ben DuBose, Kelly struggles mightily against the Astros. He posted his second-worst ERA—8.44, 21 innings pitched—out of all 30 teams and gave up a 1.012 OPS. 

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