Joe Kelly mocks Astros in front of his 'pouty face' Los Angeles mural

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly continues to mock the Houston Astros even more than a month after the infamous bench-clearing incident that landed him a five-game suspension. Kelly mocking the Astros bench with a 'pouty face' is arguably the most popular meme to come out of the shortened 2020 season, so far. 'Joe Kelly pouty face' was already plastered all over social media, but now has found a new home in Los Angeles in the form of a mural. 

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Recently, activated from the injured list to serve his five-game suspension, Kelly visited his mural with his family on Thursday. And unsurprisingly, the first thing the 32-year-old did was take a picture of himself pouting in front of the mural. Joe's wife, Ashley shared the pictures of the family outing to Instagram, which also noted the location of the mural in Los Angeles, which is near Floyds 99 Barbershop in Silver Lake on the corner of Sunset Blvd and Parkman Ave.

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Joe Kelly suspension, bench-clearing incident

The Los Angeles Dodgers were believed to carry a grudge against the Astros after the latter was found guilty of sign-stealing during the 2017 season. The Dodgers lost the World Series to the Astros that year. While Houston denied using any foul tactics during the postseason, not many MLB fans actually believed their statement. 

The animosity between the two sides was on full-show when the two sides met for the first time this season back in July. Joe Kelly took the heat to the next level when nearly hit batter Alex Bregman in the head in the sixth inning. A few pitches later, Kelly almost hit Astros' Carlos Correa with a curveball. Kelly was not ousted from the game since he did not hit either of the two batters, but he sparked the bench-clearing after he was spotted mocking Correa and the Astros bench while heading to the dugout at the end of the inning. 

Kelly was initially handed an eight-game suspension for his outbursts which was later reduced to five games. Despite the suspension, Kelly continued mocking Astros players via social media. He shared a post to Instagram with photoshopped pictures of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman on his lap with the caption, "I’d like to apologise... TO ABSOLUTELY NOBODY! The Astros are hiding in their dugouts because I'm suspended. Just wait till I get out." The post has since been taken down. 

The 32-year-old, who was on the injured list due to him suffering an inflamed shoulder, was brought back this week. He will serve his suspension this week as the Dodgers host the Astros in a two-game series. Both teams have enjoyed contrasting fortunes, so far, in the season. The Dodgers, 32-13, are currently the leaders NL West, while the Astros remain second in AL West with a poor 22-23 record. 

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(Image Credits: Ashley Kelly Instagram Handle)