Five days ago, Arizona Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez was lifted from the ninth inning of his start, two outs shy of his first complete game. But on Friday night, in the high-elevation Coors Field in Colorado, right-hander Merrill Kelly was given the green light to finish the first complete game of his career.The 37-year-old Kelly allowed just four hits and no walks, and worked a four-pitch eighth inning to set himself up to take the ninth. He was seen having a lengthy conversation with manager Torey Lovullo before ultimately going out for the ninth inning.Though Kelly did have to labor a bit in the ninth, and allowed a one-out double, his manager did not walk to the mound to yank him from the game. Kelly punctuated his outing with his fourth strikeout to earn the complete game, and the win, on exactly 100 pitches. The outing lowered his ERA over a run and a half to 5.91, following his seven-inning performance against the Mets his last time out. So, why did Lovullo leave Kelly out there, when he pulled Rodriguez in a similar situation? What was that conversation with Kelly in the dugout like? The manager revealed his thoughts to D-backs.TV's Jody Jackson postgame: Why Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo let Merrill Kelly finish complete gameMay 15, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesLovullo noted the high elevation of Coors Field. Particularly in such a ballpark, the Diamondbacks are extra careful regarding potential injuries. So Lovullo was watching Kelly intently as his outing grew long. "I get a little uptight in this ballpark," Lovullo said. "We've had a lot of injuries with soft tissue, it's known. I told him I was gonna start to get a little edgy around pitch 95."Similarly to how Rodriguez did so five days prior, Kelly angled for more leash with his manager. "He was battling for seven to ten more pitches and I said, 'We'll see. But I'm not gonna leave you out there just for the simple idea of throwing a complete game. You're way too important to me in this organization and your next start is gonna be equally as important as this one,'" Lovullo said. "He understood, we made a deal, he held up his end of the deal. But at some point, I just wanted to listen to him. And then after I listened to him, I started to make some statements and we made an agreement and it worked out great."Apr 13, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (17) walks on the field during a pitch change in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn ImagesThe manager admitted he was starting to feel anxious the longer the ninth inning went. "I was getting stressed out, believe it or not. Everybody in the dugout was celebrating Merrill with every out that he was getting. But with each pitch that he was throwing, I was getting more and more anxious."[Pitching coach Brian Kaplan] and I were discussing it. Kap wanted to keep him super short. I said, 'He just threw four pitches [in the eighth inning]. We gotta give him an opportunity to throw a complete game. ... He deserved it. He definitely deserved that opportunity."It was, in fact, quite the accomplishment for the veteran righty, who has had plenty of career success against the Rockies, and at Coors Field. Kelly became the first Diamondback to throw a nine-inning game since Brandon Pfaadt in September of 2025, though Pfaadt was not credited with a complete game due to extra innings. Zac Gallen's start at Wrigley Field on September 8, 2023, was the last complete game thrown by a D-backs arm. "It was a great moment. It was a great moment for him," Lovullo said. "He had a lot of things going in his favor. I thought there was a lot of swing-and-miss with secondary stuff. He still had gas in the tank. "This is what you work hard for in the offseason. This is what you work hard for as you're prepping for moments like this, so you can go out there and finish it and throw a CG. It doesn't happen a lot in baseball anymore, but he did a great job today."Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow