The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes’ Joe Kelly Chaquetas bobblehead earned a spot on MLB.com’s list of the best bobbleheads from the 2025 Minor League Baseball season.
The Quakes — the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate — gave the first 1,500 fans to arrive at the ballpark a bobblehead, and Kelly himself signed a few. The Quakes won’t be the Dodgers’ affiliate team come 2026 after the founding of the Ontario Tower Buzzers, but came through with a fantastic bobblehead for the Dodgers’ fan favorite.
“2025 marked the Quakes’ final season as a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, as they now embark on a new era with the Los Angeles Angels,” MLB.com’s Benjamin Hill wrote. “One of the final pieces of Dodgers memorabilia produced by the team was their Joe Kelly Chaquetas bobblehead. Chaquetas was the team’s Copa de la Diversión identity, inspired by Kelly’s famous jersey-for-jacket swap with a mariachi musician playing at Dodger Stadium.”
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Who is Joe Kelly?
Kelly played as a relief pitcher for the Dodgers from 2019-21, then returned for a second stint in 2023 and played until 2024. He won three World Series in his career, one with the Red Sox in 2018 and two more with the Dodgers in 2020 and 2024.
Through his five seasons with the Dodgers, Kelly made 161 appearances, posting a 3.72 ERA through 147.2 innings pitched.
Kelly became a fan favorite in Los Angeles due to his passionate, fiery personality as well as his memorable moments such as the pouty face he made towards the Houston Astros in 2020.
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Is Joe Kelly Still Playing?
The right-hander announced his retirement in December on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast with co-host Rob Bradford.
“I ain’t playing,” Kelly said.
“There’s no such thing as retirement for athletes. Retiring is something my grandmother did. Let’s cancel the word retirement, it’s used for people who served in the military, for people who worked ’til 65. You guys deserve to retire, athletes don’t.”
The Dodgers also took to social media to congratulate the veteran on his retirement.
“Congratulations Joe Kelly on 13 seasons in the Majors filled with unforgettable moments. You’ll always have a home at Dodger Stadium, Champ!” the Dodgers wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
While Kelly won’t be walking onto the mound again at Dodger Stadium, the memories he created for fans as well as the two World Series titles he helped bring to the city will live forever in the hearts of fans.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
