Joe Kelly pouty face mural painted near Dodger Stadium

Joe Kelly pouty face mural painted near Dodger Stadium just in time for Astros series

Ana and Brian Garcia take a selfie in front of a mural of Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly making a pouty face

Published Sept. 9, 2020 Updated Sept. 10, 2020 8:03 AM PT

Joe Kelly won’t be on the mound this weekend to torment Carlos Correa and the rest of the Houston Astros.

The Dodgers relief pitcher is on the injured list because of shoulder inflammation. And even if he unexpectedly is activated between now and Saturday, Kelly has to serve his five-game suspension for his actions the last time the teams faced each other.

But Kelly still might be able to get under the Astros’ skin, depending on where they stay and what route they take to Dodger Stadium.

Local mural artist Jonas Never has immortalized the now-legendary pouty face Kelly used to mock Correa in a mural on the side of the Floyd’s 99 Barbershop in Silver Lake, less than two miles from the ballpark.

“Wanted to make sure I got this one done before the Astros come to town,” Never wrote on social media.

When the teams played in Houston on July 28, it was their first meeting since the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal from 2017 — the year the Dodgers lost to Houston in a seven-game World Series — had been revealed. Kelly, who was not a member of the Dodgers in 2017, pitched during the eighth inning.

He threw a 96-mph fastball behind Alex Bregman’s head. He tossed an 87-mph curveball that narrowly missed Correa’s head. He made faces and used curse words. Eventually the benches cleared.

Major League Baseball wasn’t amused. The league issued Kelly a suspension that was initially eight games before he appealed and got it reduced.

But to local fans who feel the Dodgers were robbed of a World Series title in 2017, Kelly became a hero that night.