Major League Baseball champion pitcher Joe W. Kelly will be returning to his alma mater, Corona High School, this year to serve as an assistant coach, likely infusing the Panthers’ pitching squad with a professional edge.
“We are very excited about the impact he will have on and off the field,” according to a team statement posted to social media channels Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kelly, who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox during World Series wins for each team in the previous decade, was on MLB rosters for 13 years, after he was drafted from the amateur ranks by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009.
There was no word on the prospective length of his coaching term for the Panthers, or whether he took the position for pay, or just for the fun of helping a team for which he played until graduating in the 2000s.
Kelly went on to join the UC Riverside Highlanders before moving into pro ball.
He picked up his championship rings in 2018 with Boston and in 2020 with LA, where he wrapped up his career as a free agent in 2024. His trademarks were sinkers and fastballs.
Along with the Cardinals, Dodgers and Red Sox, Kelly pitched for the Chicago White Sox for a year.
The Panthers’ varsity team was 11-4 last season, which ended in May. Their rival to the north, the Norco High School Cougars, ended with a 14-1 record.