Mariners pitcher George Kirby talks about his mound mentality
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In an open mic discussion during the Seattle Mariners FanFest this weekend at T-Mobile Park, starting pitcher George Kirby provided some insight to Mariners supporters as to how he handles his game strategy. He talked about his mentality on the mound and working with catcher Cal Raleigh.
With a record of 45-34 and an ERA of 3.58 over the course of his four seasons in MLB (all with the Mariners), Kirby has already established himself as a reliable leader on the Seattle staff. He currently holds the record for the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio through a pitcher's first 50 big league starts. While others around the game may win more games or have multiple Cy Young Awards, Kirby seemingly always finds a way to put his squad in a position to win.
George Kirby is a resilient hurler, which is obvious when you see him in action. At 11 games over .500, he has lived up to the promise that the M's envisioned when they selected Kirby in the first round of the 2019 Major League Draft following a standout career at Elon University.
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"I think, for me, I'm always trying to limit the walks," Kirby explained to a young fan at the event, who asked him a question about how he approaches pitching. "[Also] being able to throw strike one, and expand the zone a little more. And working on getting more strikeouts will be a big step in my game, for sure."
At FanFest, the righty also made sure to compliment his catcher, Cal Raleigh. He stated that the Big Dumper always seems to know when it's time to settle him down with a mound visit.
"Cal kind of knows when I need a little breather, kind of a reset after maybe I've walked somebody or given up a couple of hits," Kirby said of his battery mate. "But it's basically like, 'You're good, man. Just keep throwing it up and maybe get it extended a little more."
Kirby talked about his team and their outlook for 2026. He showed confidence in his teammates and sounds like a man who thinks the Mariners will be right back in the thick of things again this season.
"Talent's one thing. I think we have that for sure. With baseball. it's kind of a big mental game. We're able to get through the pressure moments and find ways to be even keel though hard situations, I think when teams can find out how to do that, you're pretty much unstoppable."
