Don Kelly lived out his childhood fantasy by playing in the major leagues, so he couldn’t help but dare to dream about managing his hometown team while serving as Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach.
Kelly’s mind couldn’t help but drift to the times he walked onto the field as he left PNC Park, when its was illuminated only by the lights from the city skyline, and thought about players such as Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla and manager Jim Leyland who preceded him.
“Just seeing the city and being from here and seeing it lit up and how special it is,” Kelly said. “That was my team growing up, watching those guys play and compete, and I think that I dreamed of playing in the big leagues. I was blessed to be able to accomplish that, play for a long time. And then to get into coaching and to be sitting here as the Pirates manager, yes it was a dream. And I’m really humbled to be here.”
Don Kelly on realizing his dream by becoming Pirates manager. pic.twitter.com/FpcSQociDR
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) May 10, 2025
Kelly was the obvious choice to replace Derek Shelton, who was fired Thursday after the Pirates got off to a 12-26 start and were in last place in the NL Central. Kelly was the bench coach who served as Shelton’s right hand for five-plus seasons, popular among players because of his positive personality, attention to detail and tireless work ethic.
Those traits carried Kelly from Mt. Lebanon High School to Point Park University to becoming an eighth-round draft choice of the Detroit Tigers. A natural shortstop, Kelly proved his value by playing every position in the majors in 584 games over parts of nine seasons and learning from a Hall of Famer in Leyland.
New Pirates manager Don Kelly opens his introductory news conference talking about his whirlwind last 36 hours. pic.twitter.com/JbxnpOmO8r
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) May 9, 2025
“I’m excited about the opportunity, to be honest,” Kelly said. “When we look at these things, yes, the record isn’t where any of us hope it would be right now, but there’s a lot of opportunity for growth, there’s a lot of opportunity to get better and I’m excited about that.
“Talking to the players earlier, just challenging them. How do we show up every day? How do we show up with that enthusiasm like we did when we were in Little League, high school and bring that enthusiasm out onto the field and show up every day to get better and show up every day to help the team win a ball game? I think that’s something that I’m looking forward to from these guys, is seeing every single day that intent to get better, the intent to win and playing with that enthusiasm every single day.”
That was the sentiment Kelly shared with Pirates players, one All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds called a “good message” and said was well-received by a team mired in the misery of a seven-game losing streak.
“That’s not fun when you’re not scoring any runs and you’re not getting any hits or anything,” Reynolds said. “DK talked to us today about trying to keep that little boy in you, the little boy that loved baseball, the little boy that loves putting on his uniform and playing. I guess just being grateful and enjoying it. That will take some pressure off.”
Kelly reminded the Pirates not only of their love for the game but to play it with enthusiasm, energy and attitude. He emphasized their commitment to each other and to playing the game the right way. Those proved to be problems for the Pirates under Shelton, especially at the end.
“We know the game is not perfect, we’re never going to be perfect in everything that we do, but holding each other accountable to that and finding a way to compete every single day with that relentlessness to chase down winning,” Kelly said, “I think when we show up that way, we show up to get better every single day, show up for each other and take that enthusiasm and energy out there and let the chips fall. We’ve got a much better team than we’ve shown so far.”
Reynolds, for one, said he’s “super confident” in Kelly — despite him not having any managerial experience in the minor leagues or majors —because of his ability to build relationships with the players.
“He’s a great leader, knows the game, knows how to connect with people and he cares about us,” Reynolds said. “Lot of really good qualities. I think he’s going to do a good job.”
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Shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa believes bench coaches see the game through a different lens and that Kelly adds another dimension because of his playing experience. He knows what it’s like to bounce back and forth between the majors and minors, how to be a starter and a reserve, how to battle for the final spot on a major-league roster every year.
“Everybody in here loves (Kelly), so going out, playing for him, knowing that this is his hometown, the organization means so much to him, everyone in this room wants him to stick around,” Kiner-Falefa said. “Hopefully, we can go out there, play for him and allow him the opportunity to come back and lead this organization and keep going.”
Kelly, 45, played for the Pirates in 2007, when franchise icon Andrew McCutchen was still in the minors. Now in his 17th season and experiencing a midseason managerial change for the first time, McCutchen knows Kelly can relate to the players but can’t turn around their fortunes alone.
“He’s been around in the game for a while. He knows what it takes, I think,” McCutchen said. “He’s been here. He’s been in this clubhouse before. He’s been around. He has an understanding of the game of baseball. So he’s going to do his job. But, at the end of the day, he’s not on the field playing the game. We, the team out there, have to do our job. At the end of the day, it’s the team on the field who ultimately wins.”
Kelly knows this, too. But that didn’t stop him from saying his drive to the ballpark was different Friday, allowing his mind to drift and realizing his route.
“There’s so much going on, you know, you have so many thoughts going through your mind,” Kelly said. “Just being from here, growing up in Mt. Lebanon, going to Point Park, and I’ve told people, trick-or-treating at Jim Leyland’s house and now to follow in his footsteps as the Pirates manager, just extremely humbling and excited for the opportunity.”
When asked about whether the trick-or-treating trip to Leyland’s home was worthwhile, Kelly ended his introductory news conference by flashing a smile and showing his sense of humor.
“That’s why we went there: They gave out the big candy bars,” Kelly said. “No cigarettes.”