LOS ANGELES — Ray Kerr is becoming an unlikely retirement hero for the Atlanta Braves.
The former convenience store and movie theater operator hit four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani on a four-seam 95-mph fastball in the Braves’ 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers that clinched their National League Division Series game.
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“He did it again for us, just amazing,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “She throws the ball so well.”
Ohtani was one of the big-time four-hitters tying for Kerr, a 32-year-old reliever who found out early that he would have to start in Game 2 that night. He allowed two hits and walked one in 2 2/3 innings.
“It didn’t really put a lot of pressure on me,” Kerr said, explaining that he had breakfast with his wife and baby and was swimming on the way. “And then when I came to the field, I went through my process in my head. From time to time before the game, I stretch, and I go out there and only shoot like five, six minutes.”
Kerr was the opener in the Braves’ NL Wild Card Series Game 3 clincher over the Philadelphia Phillies, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings, with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
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“Fun. It’s very strange,” he said. “All of a sudden one night, I got a thousand followers on Instagram. I’m getting to it. I’m just going to be on it.”
At 13, Kerr landed in a foster care system in Reno, Nevada, because his father was in prison and his mother was absent. Eventually, he and his brother were arrested by a woman who provided the stability they lacked in their lives.
Kerr graduated from high school in Reno and played baseball at Mendocino College in Northern California for two years before retiring from the sport. He returned home and took a job at 7:11 and in the theater.
The coach at Lassen College in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada convinced Kerr to join the team. He played in Alaska Baseball in 2017, where his fastball hit 93 mph. That August, the Seattle Mariners signed him as a free agent.
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In 2021, he was traded to the San Diego Padres. The following season he reached the majors for the first time, appearing in seven games before being sent down to Triple-A in 2023. He was traded to the Braves and began the 2024 season at Triple-A.
He had Tommy John surgery, ending his season in June and taking him out for all of 2025. He returned this year and was elected to the Atlanta roster in August.
Kerr will make his season debut on Aug. 17. and posted a 1.47 ERA over 18 1/3 innings in nine appearances. Left-handed hitters — like Ohtani — hit .174 against him with only two extra-base hits allowed.
The Braves returned to Atlanta for Game 3, with ace Chris Sale starting.
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“It’s going to be crazy out there,” Kerr said. “It’s going to be a beautiful crowd to watch. I already know. Especially against the Dodgers.”
And if Kerr nods to take more innings again, he’s going to say, “Okay, let’s go.”
“I say this every time,” he said, “and then I stick to it.”