Kelly made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on May 28, 1980, and played his final game six days later.

On July 3, 2007, Kelly replaced Bucky Dent as the Cincinnati Reds bench coach on an interim basis.

[1] On June 5, 2008, Kelly's son Casey was the 30th selection of the first round, by the Boston Red Sox in the MLB's First Year Player Draft.

Pat's older son, Chris, played in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system.

In December 2014, Kelly was named manager of the Reds' Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.