Kelly was not a member of the Dodgers in 2017, when the Astros beat Los Angeles to win the World Series, but in 2018, Kelly pitched for
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who had been Houston's bench coach. Cora was strongly implicated in the findings of the sign-stealing investigation and was suspended for the 2020 season, along with Houston manager A.J. Hinch, Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and veteran slugger Carlos Beltran, who had been hired to manage the
New York Mets for the 2020 season. Cora, Hinch, Luhnow and Beltran all lost their respective jobs following the release of the findings.
"The people who took the fall for what happened is nonsense," Kelly said. "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 bitch, and they don't have to get fined, they don't have to lose games."
"When you take someone's livelihood ... to save your own ass, that's what I don't like. Cheating? They cheated. Everyone knows they're cheaters. They know they're cheaters. It's over. That's done with. But now they mess it up by ruining other people's lives, so they f----- it up twice. ... When you taint someone's name to save your own name, this is one of the worst things that you could probably do. ... That really friggin' bugs me. I think I'll be irritated forever."
Kelly spoke of how much he cared about Cora, and how Cora's life has been changed by the fallout. Cora would love to explain what happened, Kelly said, "but he hasn't, because he's a respectable man. So when (the Astros) lie" - by deflecting blame onto staffers - "that doesn't sit right with me."