Dodgers reveal controversial hero as ceremonial first pitch for Game 1 vs. Reds

The Dodgers could have any number of people throw out their ceremonial first pitch in every game they play this postseason. This year alone, they've had world-famous athletes, K-pop stars, LA icon Kobe Bryant's daughter Bianka, players' kids, and so on. An untold number of celebrities have been spotted at Dodger Stadium throughout the season.

But instead of any of the diehard celebrity Dodgers fans out there, the team will instead have...former middle reliever Joe Kelly throw out the first pitch for Game 1 against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Dodgers have a fondness for Kelly that some fans just can't make sense of. Sure, he spent five years with the club and a pretty good 2021 season, and he technically won two World Series with LA, but he sat out of the entire 2024 run and posted a 4.78 ERA in the regular season. He was also reportedly working up toward a major league tryout with LA this season (he insisted that he would only sign with the Dodgers) that clearly didn't work out, because he's still contract-less.

Sounds like the Dodgers said, "Thanks, but no thanks. Would you prefer to throw a single, meaningless, and probably not televised ceremonial pitch instead?"

Dodgers tab former reliever Joe Kelly to throw out ceremonial first pitch in Wild Card Game 1 vs. Reds

Maybe Kelly's viral shenanigans against Carlos Correa and the Astros in 2020 really were all that was needed to turn a player into a folk hero?

It's been sort of a nostalgia-tinged year for the Dodgers overall. They've welcomed multiple players who left in the offseason (or were traded away) back to Dodger Stadium to present their World Series rings, they're saying goodbye to Clayton Kershaw, and so on. Maybe they just want to give Dodgers fans one last and very obvious reminder of their recent glories ahead of their long trek back to the Fall Classic (even though Kelly didn't pitch in October 2024).

Maybe they're keeping their heavy hitters in the chamber for a possible NLDS, NLCS, and World Series. We guess you can't get Ice Cube to do a pregame show at every postseason game.