Trevor Bauer wants to 'Free Joe Kelly' with cleats, T-shirt
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer might have Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly on his mind Wednesday when he takes the mound against the Kansas City Royals.
At the very least, the former UCLA standout will have Kelly on his feet.
Earlier in the day, Bauer tweeted a video in which he displayed the custom cleats he planned to wear on the mound in the afternoon game.
The left shoe features a drawing of Kelly making the pouting face he used to mock Carlos Correa after striking out the Houston Astros shortstop on July 28.
The right shoe features the words "Free Joe Kelly," a reference to the five-game suspension (originally eight games) Kelly received from Major League Baseball for throwing a pitch in the area of Alex Bregman's head and later taunting Correa, which led to the benches clearing that night in Houston.
And the moment you've all been waiting for.....here's a look at my cleats for tonight's start. FREE JOE KELLY! If you want to be eligible for a chance to win these, see next tweet for details. pic.twitter.com/WR0LrNpgCC
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) August 19, 2020
Bauer has been outspoken in his criticism of the Astros for the sign-stealing scheme they used during their 2017 championship season, referring to them during spring training as "hypocrites" and "cheaters."
So in Bauer's eyes, Kelly is the Greatest Of All Time, as shown in the shirts he's selling that feature a goat in a baseball uniform wearing Kelly's signature glasses and making what has quickly become Kelly's signature facial expression.
You must buy this shirt before 11:59pm EST tonight from my site to be eligible for a chance to win. ALL proceeds will be going to Joe Kelly's charity of choice.https://t.co/FdToKgCk1J
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) August 19, 2020
Anyone who orders the shirt today will be eligible to win Bauer's cleats honoring Kelly, with proceeds going to the Dodgers pitcher's charity of choice.
"The pouty face that broke the Internet," reads the description of the shirt on Bauer's website. "Free Joe 'The Goat' Kelly."