Nationals: the time Shawn Kelley felt he was bigger than baseball

Caught up in his emotions, Shawn Kelley made a decision which set into motion his exodus from the Washington Nationals.

As far as the Washington Nationals were concerned, the 2018 season was a bust. Sitting with a record of 52-53 on July 31st, the offense finally broke out to provide some breathing room for the pitching staff. Though for one Shawn Kelley, he decided to add a little drama to what was supposed to be a problem-free evening of baseball.

The Nationals were limping through the regular season. A roster full of superstars, a payroll inching towards $200M, and a first-year manager in Davey Martinez, who was struggling to get the fullest potential from his players.

Needing to get the bats going (having scored one run total, the previous two games against the Miami Marlins), Washington hung seven runs in the first inning to get out of the gates fast.

The onslaught continued as the Nats put crooked (well uniform) numbers up the next four innings. After scoring three runs each inning in the second through the fifth, the Nats took a 19-0 lead to the seventh inning.

At this point you have to wonder what the guys in the bullpen are thinking. Aside from the fact it is the baseball trading deadline and the Nats could be in sell mode, the idea of mop up duty has to be floated around.

Starting pitcher Tanner Roark crossed the ninety pitch threshold in the seventh inning so his night was through. Mets shortstop Jose Reyes pitched the bottom of the eighth inning and surrendered six more runs, turning the game into a 25-1 shellacking.

Wander Suero pitched the eighth for the Nationals and threw close to thirty pitches while striking out the side so he wasn’t going to return for the ninth.

Who to summon? Shawn Kelley hadn’t seen work in five days, seemed logical to let him get an inning to stay sharp. Kelley, a ten year veteran at the time, had pitched in two similar scenarios earlier in the month. He pitched the final two innings of an 18-4 win over Miami and in his last appearance, finished off the Marlins in a 10-3 decision.

He took exception to pitching in this game. After two of the first three hitters reached base, Kelley exchanged words with the second base umpire over something and appears agitated. He then proceeds to give up a home run to Austin Jackson.

Immediately, Kelley fires his glove into the mound and glares into the dugout. And almost just as immediately General Manager Mike Rizzo says, “your fate with this team is signed, sealed, and delivered.”

Rizzo saw the glove toss as a selfish act. Others saw the stare to the bench as showing up the manager. The message from above was:

You’re either in or you are in the way…….it’s something you don’t come back from…….a disrespectful act…….I thought it warranted him leaving the team.

Kelley was told he was designated for assignment that night and was traded five days later to the Oakland Athletics.

Shawn Kelley thinks he was a scapegoat for the way the Nationals season was going, I think he was putting himself before his teammates. The bad breakup worked out well for both parties. The Nats won the World Series a year later, and Kelley saved eleven games for his new team, the Texas Rangers.