D-Backs ace Merrill Kelly drops wild analogy about being pulled early - "Going 5 innings is like kissing your sister"

Arizona Diamondbacks ace Merrill Kelly was shellshocked when manager Torey Lovullo took the ball from him in Game 6 of the NLCS against the Phillies. He did not want to come out of that game in the fifth inning.

Kelly struck out the red-hot Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper with his team up 4-1 on Monday. However, he was at 90 pitches, and Lovullo did not want to extend him any longer.

TV cameras caught the exchange between Kelly and Lovullo when the manager told his ace his day was done in the 5-1 win that tied the series at three games apiece. While Kelly could not hide his disappointment, he accepted his fate and went to the clubhouse.

"Going 5 innings is like kissing your sister," Kelly said.

Merrill Kelly said that his mentality is that he needs to go more than five innings for his outing to be a success in his mind.

This is how a competitive pitcher thinks. Kelly wants to go out there every start and go as deep as possible to help his bullpen. Quality starts in the postseason can go a long way.

The D-Backs bullpen has been on fire in the postseason, thanks to great starting pitching. They will undoubtedly need their bullpen to keep on track to defeat the Texas Rangers.

All eyes will be on Merrill Kelly and the other D-Backs starting pitchers in this series

NLCS: Diamondbacks-Phillies

It's no secret that pitching carries teams in the postseason. Both the D-Backs and Rangers have not only gotten great starts from their starters, but their bullpens have also stepped up.

Merrill Kelly holds a 2-1 record in the postseason. He got a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and split his starts in the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies.

If the game script stays the same, Kelly will get the ball in Game 2. Arizona will hand the ball to Zac Gallen for Game 1, and he will face off against Nathan Eovaldi. The place should be energetic since this is the first World Series at Texas' Globe Life Field.

Arizona's pitching staff will be under a microscope in this series. Texas has been slugging its way through the postseason and does not plan on stopping now.

Arizona must keep players like Adolis Garcia, Josh Jung and Corey Seager at bay to take home the World Series.