Merrill Kelly Opens Up on Facing Former D-backs Teammates

The Arizona Diamondbacks will face one of their former rotation staples for the first time since the Trade Deadline ravaged Arizona's roster.

Veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly is making just his third start for the Texas Rangers, and it'll be against the team that took a chance on him coming out of Korea in 2019.

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Kelly met with reporters, including AZCentral's Nick Piecoro on Monday, two days ahead of his start against Arizona.

Former Diamondback Merrill Kelly Opens Up on Facing Old Team

Kelly harbors no ill will toward his old team. He spoke positively about his opportunity to see some of his former teammates.

“Just with how much change there has been — different faces, different places, different people — it’s nice to see some familiar faces," Kelly told Piecoro, "and have some familiarity kind of in the world of ups and downs right now.”

“That’s the fun part about baseball, especially when you’ve been around for a little bit,” Kelly said. “Those guys know how I pitch and I know how they hit.”

Kelly noted the significance of joining the very same team that took down the D-backs in the World Series two seasons ago. Ironically, Kelly was the only pitcher to pick up a win for Arizona in the 2023 Fall Classic.

“It kind of smacked me right in the face,” Kelly said to Piecoro. “The reminder of losing the World Series is definitely very prevalent here. But I guess the saying goes, ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.’”

Kelly will get a chance to face off against former teammate and close friend Zac Gallen. The two right-handers had formed a bond in their time with the D-backs, but will have to watch each other from opposing dugouts on Wednesday.

"Ultimately, I'm happy for him," Gallen told reporters following the Deadline.

"I'm happy that he's pitched really well this year. He put himself in a spot to... go and pitch for a contender and see what happens."

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"I was joking with Zac," Torey Lovullo said on Sunday about the upcoming matchup.

"I said, 'There's going to be a showdown on Wednesday. You guys ready to rock? Have you talked to Merrill?' He's like, 'No, nothing. I'm ready to go.'"

"I think [Gallen]'s pretty excited about it. It's going to be a big moment for me to watch those two guys going toe-to-toe at each other."

Kelly has had an excellent season so far. He pitched to a 3.22 ERA with the D-backs, though he's given up six earned runs in his first 10 innings with the Rangers.

Meanwhile, Gallen has struggled through 2025, but has stacked together back-to-back six-inning Quality Starts.

Arizona is looking to pick up a series win over the Rangers after winning a thriller in game two to even the series 1-1.

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Texas has fallen in the AL West standings of late, but is looking to get back into Wild Card contention and build momentum. If Kelly can do for them what he's done for Arizona all those previous years, the D-backs may be in for a rough day offensively against their crafty former teammate.

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