Former Wilson Tobs pitcher Zack Kelly made his Major League debut Monday night (August 29) for the Boston Red Sox.

Kelly entered out of the pen to start the sixth inning for Boston in its game at Minnesota. The 6-3, 205-pound righty threw one inning of one-hit baseball and struck out two. Not drafted out of Newberry College (S.C.), he signed with the Oakland Athletics in 2017. After the 2017 season, Kelly found himself with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for 2018 and 2019. From there, he turned up in the Red Sox organization starting in 2021, where he was 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. Then, before getting the call up to Boston, Kelly was 6-3 with a 2.72 ERA for Worcester. Also worth noting, he became the first player in Newberry history to reach the Bigs.

A member of the 2016 Tobs, Kelly made 11 appearances, including eight starts and finished with a 2-3 record and 5.89 ERA. In 44 1/3 innings of work, he surrendered 33 runs – 29 earned – on 49 hits. He walked 28 and struck out 38.

His debut marks the 159th all-time former CPL player to make their Major League debut and the eighth of the 2022 MLB season. This debut also pushes the Tobs Big League alumni total to 16, including former teammate Jack Larsen who debuted with Seattle earlier this summer.

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League, brought to you by FloSports, is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 13 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 157 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Mark Reynolds, Alec Bohm and NFL Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.