Joe Kelly's wife Ashley shares adorable story of Dodgers picther's 'big kid' moment with his all-time favorite player

On Friday, free agent pitcher Joe Kelly's wife, Ashley Nicole, took to Instagram to share a snap featuring her husband. In the caption, she shared the story of how the seasoned veteran felt like he was a young fan all over again after a heartwarming gesture from his all-time favorite player, Ken Griffey Jr.

The Seattle Mariners legend has turned to photography since he retired from baseball and is often seen capturing MLB games. He clicked a picture of Joe Kelly in action for the Dodgers in Seoul last year and mailed it to the Kelly family.

"When an MLB Vet feels like he’s 7 again ⚾️ Ken Griffey Jr. took this photo of Joe pitching in South Korea during last season’s Seoul Series. He reached out to little ol’ me to have it mailed to JK. He opened it, I told him who took the photo, he did this little twinkle toe type dance, grabbed some bubble gum and now we have a glimpse at this Big Kid whose favorite player of all time made his dreams come true! You’re the absolute 🐐 @therealkengriffeyjr THANK YOU!" Ashley Nicole captioned her Instagram post

Having made his debut in April of 1989, Ken Griffey Jr. went on to enjoy 22 hugely successful years in the major leagues. In those years, Griffey Jr. represented the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox.

For his career as a whole, Griffey Jr. has a .284 batting average, with 2781 total hits, including 630 home runs and 1836 RBIs. In terms of awards, the lefty has 13 All-Star caps to his name, an AL MVP award, 10 Gold Glove awards and seven Silver Slugger awards, among numerous other honors.

For his outstanding contributions to the success of both franchises, the 55-year-old has been inducted into both the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds' Halls of fame. Further, Griffey Jr. has also been named as one of the players on the MLB All-Century team.

---

Joe Kelly and wife Ashley return to UC Riverside for alumni appreciation night

On Saturday, January 18, two-time World Series winner Joe Kelly and his better half, Ashley Nicole, made a grand return to their former stomping ground, UC Riverside. Per reports, one of their sons, Knox, also joined them for the event.

Both Joe Kelly and Ashley Nicole were student-athletes during their time at UC Riverside, with Joe regularly pitching for the Highlanders' baseball team, while Ashley played for the women's soccer team, which competed at D1 level. Per sources, the pair also first met and began dating during the years they spent on campus.