6.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 0 BB |6 K
In a game that started after 11:00 PM because of a rain delay before the first game of a doubleheader, Casey Kelly faced 18 batters and retired them all before being removed by the Salem Red Sox manager.
Salem loaded the bases in the Top of the 7th, but then stuck out in three straight at-bats to keep the game tied at 0 and thus not giving Kelly the chance to pitch in the bottom of the 7th for a perfect game [minor league doubleheaders are 7 inning games].
It was Kelly’s second start after his promotion to the Carolina League after a dominating run through the South Atlantic League.
Only a handful of fans were in the stands for the game played on the road in Frederick, Maryland.
Kelly pitched like a machine. Fastballs were located on the paint, never over the heart of the plate, and his slider was devastating. His changeup and curve were also featured. The two hardest hit balls off of him were flyouts easily caught.
Earlier in the night Red Sox prospect Stephen Fife pitched five perfect innings for the Greenville Drive, striking out 7.
