Like many kids, Kevin Kelly dreamed of playing professional baseball when he grew up. But it wasn’t until he was pitching in the minor leagues that he realized his dream might become a reality. “Our manager basically said (that) every year we have two or three guys who end up playing in the big leagues by the end of the year. And I was like, I could be one of those guys,” said Kelly. This spring, Kelly, an alumnus of St. Paul VI Catholic High School before it had moved from its Fairfax location to Chantilly, started playing for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kelly fell in love with baseball while playing wiffle ball in his backyard and watching the St. Louis Cardinals. “I was really into stats and I was around the age when Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds got rolling, and we were (living) on the Illinois side of St. Louis,” he said. “It was a lot of fun watching those guys.”
At Paul VI, he honed his pitching skills. “I like hitting and fielding about the same (as pitching) but I was definitely much better at pitching,” he said with a laugh. “It was fun to play with a bunch of other guys who you see every day. We always made the playoffs and my senior year I think we made it to the finals and lost in the state championship.” He still keeps in touch with his former coach, Jeff Nolan. “He texts me all the time. It’s been great having his support,” said Kelly.
Kelly has another on-going relationship from his time at Paul VI. This winter, he and his high school sweetheart plan to marry at St. John the Apostle Church in Leesburg.
After graduating from Paul VI, he played baseball at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. His junior year he was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians. After a few years of playing in the minor leagues, with a pandemic interruption, he began this year with the Rays. The team had an eventful start to the season with 13 straight wins, tying the record for the longest winning streak to begin a season since 1900, according to the MLB.
There have been highlights to the start of his major league career, including watching his teammates score five runs in the ninth inning to win a game against the Washington Nationals. Kelly remembers watching games from the ballpark stands not that long ago. “It’s just a different view from the field than it is from high up in the seats,” he said.
