Mitch Garver Talks About Relationship With Seattle Mariners Pitcher George Kirby
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The Seattle Mariners starting rotation was the pinnacle of consistency and health in 2024. But, even it wasn't immune to bad stretches.
One of the best command pitchers in the league and a 2023 All-Star, George Kirby, finished the season with a 3.53 ERA and struck out 179 batters in 191 innings pitched across 33 starts. Kirby had a stretch of nine consecutive quality starts from June 9-July 26. But he didn't have the strongest opening months.
Kirby had a monthly ERA of 5.26 in April and 4.00 in May.
There were several reasons for Kirby heating up as the season went on. And one reason seems to be the relationship he developed with Seattle's backup catcher Mitch Garver.
Garver caught most of Kirby's final starts during the second half of the season. In an interview with Seattle Sports 710, Garver talked about a game against the Houston Astros he caught on May 29 that seemed to mark a turning point for Kirby.
"I think it worked out really well. Because when I started catching again, George, he was having kind of a tough time. He couldn't leave the strike zone, wasn't getting the swings-and-misses he really needed. I think he got banged up for a few starts. So, when I went in there, first game we started was against Houston, obviously. Threw a really great game. ... I told him, 'George, I'm gonna go down in the tunnel where you sit between innings and we're gonna talk.' Because that's something he doesn't really do. And I was like, 'I'm gonna go down there,' and we're gonna be like, 'Hey, these are your next three hitters.' Bang, bang, bang, we go over them, we talk about the next inning, talk about the previous innings. ... Whatever it may be. And I think that line of communication helped him a little bit. We're gonna talk about things in the middle of the game. And that's how you learn who they are as a pitcher, that's how you learn what they can and can't do. And I think George is a guy in particular, he can do anything that you ask him to do. He can throw any pitch in any location and that's what makes him special. So it's like, you really have to be a catcher with an imagination and go out there and push the limits on what this guy can do and he can do anything."
"I'm gonna go down in the tunnel where you sit in between innings and we're gonna talk." 👀#Mariners catcher Mitch Garver shared an interesting behind-the-scenes story about catching George Kirby in 2024.
— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) March 6, 2025
Full video 📺: https://t.co/NeycyXRXod https://t.co/q3YZLUNG8m pic.twitter.com/Bu2b501gBq
Kirby was shut down on Friday due to shoulder inflammation. And his relationship with Garver could play a big role when the former Elon College product makes his way back.
He's expected to begin the year on the injured list, but it's not expected to be a lengthy absence.
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