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Joe Kelly learned new pitch 10 minutes before Game 1 of ALDS

Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Lost in the Cleveland Indians' sweep of the Boston Red Sox was Joe Kelly's stat line.

He faced 11 batters, and none of them reached base.

Despite having a blazing 100-mph fastball, the right-hander struggled for much of the regular season, authoring a 5.18 ERA over 40 innings.

But right before Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Kelly discovered a new pitch - a different slider - which would eventually become his best.

"I kind of tweaked the sliders with (assistant pitching coach) Brian Bannister I think the first day in Cleveland," Kelly said on the Bradfo Sho podcast, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford.

"There was one point probably in my third appearance in the playoffs where 10 of my 13 pitches I threw were all sliders. I didn’t want to throw it that much but I kind of fell in love with it because it was generating so many swings and misses and so many foul balls and weak contact.

"It was something I learned probably 10 minutes before Game 1. I was like, ‘You know what, why not?’ That is kind of my personality. If I see something I see works, or I think will work, it’s something I’m going to try."

Going into spring training, the Red Sox have a revamped bullpen that includes Kelly, Tyler Thornburg, Matt Barnes, and Carson Smith duking it out to set up closer Craig Kimbrel.

For his part, Kelly certainly plans to throw the new slider more often in 2017.

"One-hundred percent,” Kelly said when asked if he was going to use his fastball, slider, curveball repertoire starting on Day 1. “That’s what my game plan is, trying to simplify pitching for this season.”

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