Cubs call up Maine East grad Kelly for MLB debut; Hollowell to injured list
Maine East High School has produced plenty of famous artists during its long history, from actors Harrison Ford and Karen Black to “Go Cubs Go” composer Steve Goodman to local television legend Rich Koz.
The list of pro athletes from the school is a little thin, so left-handed pitcher Antoine Kelly getting called up by the Cubs on Friday was a rare event.
Kelly pitched 1 ⅓ innings Friday in his major-league debut. He took the mound with two on and two out in the eighth to strike out the Yankees’ Ben Rice, a top-10 player in OPS, then retired the side in the top of the ninth with a walk.
“I'm not going to lie, I didn't really expect it,” Kelly said. “I didn't think I was going to throw today since it was a fairly close game, but I got the job done.”
Manager Craig Counsell had plenty of praise for Kelly’s performance after the Cubs’ 2-0 loss.
“I thought Antoine was great today,” Counsell said. “That’s a difficult situation to make your debut in, and he made some great pitches, gave us two more chances to tie the game. So hats off to him.”
Kelly is a 2018 Maine East grad who grew up in Des Plaines. He was drafted out of high school by the Padres, chose to attend a downstate junior college, Wabash Valley, and was a second-round pick of the Brewers a year later, so Counsell was already familiar.
“Antoine's a talented arm,” Counsell said. “Throwing strikes has always been the key for Antoine. Some guys, it just takes a while for that to click. It's gotten better in Iowa since we acquired him from the Dodgers.
“Happy for a kid that's had a pretty good journey in the minor leagues, Chicago kid, happy to be able to make his debut here.”
Kelly was called up to replace reliever Gavin Hollowell, who went on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Friday was the first time Kelly has been on a major-league roster.
“I've had flashes of being really close,” he said. “It's been a journey, I'll tell you that. It's just now starting to click. I'm 26, not the end of the world.”
His minor-league journey has spanned five organizations, from the Brewers, Rangers, Rockies, Dodgers and now the Cubs. He was traded from the Dodgers in a cash deal on June 7 and posted a 2.79 ERA at Iowa, with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
In his most recent outing for the Iowa Cubs, Kelly averaged 96.2 mph with his four-seam fastball and 95.2 on the sinker. His most frequent pitch was a slider.
Kelly was a one-sport athlete growing up and his favorite team was the Brewers, for reasons he can't explain.
“I get asked that question all the time. I could not tell you,” he said. “I went to Cubs, White Sox and Brewers games growing up.
“I tried basketball, I got cut in a heartbeat. Football, I was too skinny. Everything else, I just got tangled up in my legs.”
For the record, the one pro athlete listed among Maine East alumni by Wikipedia is Steve Smith, a lineman who played for the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, and the father of former Barrington star Brady Smith, who spent 10 years in the NFL.
Hollowell was becoming a reliable piece to the Cubs bullpen and Counsell doesn't think the right-hander will be out long.
“Gavin's been dealing with some things,” Counsell said. “We talked after the first St. Louis outing, he had two days off. Then he threw 13 pitches (Thursday) and there was some talk about him going back out there, and he just didn't feel great. It's a pretty clear sign we needed to press pause for a little bit.”
Counsell said Daniel Palencia (right flexor strain) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Saturday and if all goes well, he'll likely head out for a rehab assignment.