"They weren’t loud enough”- Dodgers' Joe Kelly responds to Astros' jeering fans after impressive scoreless inning at Minute Maid Park

Joe Kelly and the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided being swept by the Houston Astros in their series finale winning 6-2 at Minute Maid Park. During the Sunday game, Astros fans booed Kelly for his viral reaction to a hit-by-pitch incident on Saturday.

The two-time World Series champion took the mound in the eighth inning. Astros fans, already frustrated with the Dodgers holding a 5-2 lead, began booing Kelly as he warmed up for his outing.

Following his solid outing, during which he allowed just one hit with no runs or walks and recorded one strikeout, Joe Kelly clapped back at the fans.

“They weren’t loud enough honestly,” Kelly said.

Joe Kelly started his outing by striking out Joey Loperfido with a sinker and two knuckle curves. Shortly after, José Altuve hit a double off him, followed by Alex Bregman’s lineout. A wild pitch then allowed Altuve to advance to third base.

Kelly ended the inning by facing Yordan Álvarez, who flew out to left fielder Teoscar Hernandez.

Joe Kelly expressed his dislike for the Houston Astros back in 2020

Joe Kelly’s feelings toward the Houston Astros are not new. In 2020, he was suspended for throwing a ball near the head of Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and taunting shortstop Carlos Correa.

During his appearance at the "The Big Swing" podcast in 2020, talking about the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal, Kelly said (via ESPN):

"The people who took the fall for what happened is nonsense. Yes, everyone is involved. But the way that [sign-stealing system] was run over there was not from coaching staff… They're not the head boss in charge of that thing.

It's the players. So now the players get the immunity, and all they do is go snitch like a little b----, and they don't have to get fined, they don't have to lose games."

Kelly was upset by how Astros players avoided punishment by turning in their coaches. He was especially bothered because Alex Cora, who was his manager with the Boston Red Sox, lost his job due to the scandal without having the chance to share his side of the story.