https://theathletic.com/816072/2019/02/13/shawn-kelley-was-ready-to-retire-after-the-incident-thats-no-longer-the-case/“It was frustrating for everybody in D.C.,” Kelley acknowledges. “There was a lot of tension when you have a team that is basically picked to be in the World Series and you are struggling to stay at .500, in a division you are supposed to hands-down win? There is a lot of blame, a lot of pointing fingers. There is a lot of frustration, so a lot of stuff boiled over...But we were so veteran, we almost needed a kick in the ass. Because it was like, we’re going to show up and win every day, which — that’s great, you have that confidence — but you still have to go out and have that chip on your shoulder, especially when everybody in the division is gunning for you."
“It was stale. It was very stale. To go to Oakland, (it was) the exact opposite: a bunch of hungry, young guys..."
Part of the story of Kelley’s glove-throw was that he was upset at having been put into a game in mop-up duty. Who chooses one of their set-up guys to close out a 25-1 lead? Kelley is careful, however, to include a kind word for Nats Manager Dave Martinez. “There were a lot of things that went wrong...There were a lot of things that didn’t go the way they should have.”
Kelley went on to say that Martinez had a lot to learn in his first season but that he'd be surprised if Davey doesn't do better in his second year. Better than 82 wins with a $200 million roster, let's hope so.
