After the news broke on where Shohei Ohtani signed this offseason, one of the other big mysteries that now surrounded the Dodgers was what number Joe Kelly wear this season.
Well, the mystery is no more! Kelly will be wearing number 58 this season.
After reports that Joe Kelly would be wearing #99 for the Dodgers, it appears that he will now wear #58 according to the Dodgers roster.
— Thomas Murray (@Thomas_L_Murray) December 11, 2023
The last person to wear #58 was Ryan Brasier who will now wear #57 pic.twitter.com/FUeJoESQZW
Kelly is the 22nd player to ever number 58 for the Dodgers, as Ryan Brasier was the last person to wear it. Brasier has now switched his number 57.
With Kelly making the move to change his number, it will seem likely that Ohtani will now wear number 17 for the Dodgers this season.
Before Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, Kelly came out and said that he would be honored to move on from number 17 if Ohtani came to the Dodgers. Kelly also joked with the idea of sharing the number with Ohtani and becoming "Joehei".
Joe Kelly proposes an idea to #ShoheiOhtani
— AM 570 LA Sports (@AM570LASports) December 10, 2023
(Via Dodger Talk @THEREAL_DV) pic.twitter.com/mCLGg8pNle
While Kelly has spent most of his career playing for the Boston Red Sox from 2014 to 2018, he has quickly become a favorite in Los Angeles as he has had a few iconic moments with the Dodgers, from the infamous pout against the Astros to that look becoming a mural or when we had "Mariachi Joe" as he exchanged his jersey for a mariachi jacket and wore that same jacket to the White House following the Dodgers 2020 World Series win, to that same look becoming a bobblehead promotion last year.
They made a giant Joe Kelly mural in LA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2020
(via @never1959) pic.twitter.com/5jXJ76d5xF
Joe Kelly trading his jersey for a mariachi jacket and then wearing it to The White House was one of the greatest moments in Dodgers history
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) March 13, 2022
pic.twitter.com/3buBUMgBH9
Kelly giving up his jersey number for Ohtani, it's just another service that he has done for fans all across baseball and another reason why he is a fan favorite.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!