Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly revealed he would let All-Star starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto wear his Mariachi jacket when the Dodgers receive their World Series rings this year.
Kelly famously wore his iconic Mariachi jacket — which he received from musician Grover Castro in exchange for his jersey — to the White House after the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series. He also wore it when throwing the ceremonial first pitch for the Dodgers’ first Wild Card Series game this postseason.
Before picking who he would let wear it, the former fan favorite first thought about who would fit into his jersey.
“Who do you think should wear it?” he asked David Vassegh on Dodger Talk. “Who do you think is skinny enough? ‘Cause dude, when I threw that first pitch it was so tight on me. I’m like 195 now. I played at like 180, 185. And my arms are so yoked, dude, I couldn’t even… I bounced the ball. I couldn’t move my arm. It was so tight.”
After his deliberation, Kelly settled on the World Series MVP.
“I would let Yama do it,” Kelly said. “Yeah, pitch it to him. Go ahead.”
Does Joe Kelly Still Play Baseball?
After a successful 13-year MLB career, Kelly reluctantly announced he was retiring from baseball after the end of the 2025 season.
“I ain’t playing,” Kelly said on the Baseball Isn’t Boring Podcast.
“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 right-hander played five seasons with the Dodgers, posting a 3.72 ERA through 161 appearances. He pitched in 485 games throughout his career, keeping his ERA just below 4.00. He won two World Series — one with the Dodgers and the other with the Boston Red Sox.
Kelly was a fan favorite in Los Angeles, with iconic moments such as his jersey-for-jacket swap and the “pouty face” against the Astros in 2020 endearing him to the home fans. Allowing one of baseball’s best to wear his jacket is a great gesture from the former player, and all that remains is to see whether or not Yamamoto will take him up on his offer.
