A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America’s Pastime is a 2023 book by former Major League Baseball pitcher Joe Kelly. Felly wrote A Damn Near Perfect game with professional sports reporter Rob Bradford. Kelly wrote the book in Los Angeles, where he settled after wrapping up his Major League baseball career, for all intents and purposes, there in 2024. He was still active last year but is on the last legs of a long career.
Kelly has been through a lot as a player, so he decided to write a book about it, and we are all the richer. A Damn Near Perfect Game is a refreshing look at how a Major League Baseball player sees the world; what is the most refreshing book you have ever read?
A Damn Near Perfect Game: In the Frist Person
The first thing to know about A Damn Near Perfect Game is that it is written in the first person, from the viewpoint of a Major League Ballplayer. This is refreshing. In this sense, Kelly is an heir to Jim Bouton’s Ball Four as Damn Near Perfect Game starts strong by examining the power of pout. The first chapter is mainly about Kelly’s (and the Dodgers) dispute with the Houston Astros. Kelly says after a strikeout, “Correra, [Carlos] the player who had shown no remorse for his cheating…He was humbled, he didn’t like it. Baseball can offer so many powerful lessons, with this potentially serving as one of them.” (7)
Carlos Correra was a cheater, and Kelly got the best of him and told the story in detail. In A Damn Near Perfect Game, Kelly has a chapter on the clubhouse, the Bullpen, and on the Field. All the while, he speaks in the first person, telling interesting stories. The most interesting part of A Damn Near Perfect Game is when he was selected, along with a group of players, as a member of the Chicago White Sox to meet with the Commissioner of Baseball, Rob Manfred. Kelly had been suspended twice by this point. At any rate, Kelly quotes Commissioner Manfred at length. He may have had a tape recorder.
Joe Kelly’s Career
Joe Kelly has played since 2012, and as of 2024, he was still active. Kelly has bounced around somewhat, playing for the Sy. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox. He began as a starting pitcher but transitioned to the Bullpen in 2016 at age 28. From the perspective of A Damn Near Perfect Game, this means that Kelly has a great deal of experience as both a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher. From the perspective of Kelly, the baseball player, he is just a journeyman. That said, Kelly is intelligent and has had an interesting career.
Joe Kelly is Disliked by Yankee Fans
There are two incidents for which fans of the New York Yankees. First, Kelly threw at Yankee Tyler Austin in 2018. The result of the beaning was a bench-clearing brawl and a suspension for Kelly. This incident just added to the bad blood between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Second, as a member of the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. Kelly was outspoken in his criticism of the Yankees’ porous defense in the World Series, saying the Dodgers did not take the Yankees seriously. In this case, Kelly is correct.
Conclusion
A Damn Near Perfect Game is well-written and an interesting look at what it is like to be a professional baseball player. Because this book is baseball heavy it will only appeal to fans of the game, however, for fans A Damn Near Perfect Game is essential reading as it provides a fascinating look inside. In this sense, A Damn Near Perfect Game is an heir to Jim Bouton’s Ball Four. It is for this reason that the book is recommended.
