Seattle Mariners Fall in George Kirby's Season Debut, Lose 9-2 to Houston Astros
In this story:
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby didn't have the triumphant return he would have hoped. The Mariners lost to the Houston Astros 9-2 on Thursday in Kirby's season debut. Seattle dropped to 28-21 on the season and saw its lead over Houston in the American League West fall to 2.5 games.
"Tough ball game tonight," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview. "I thought George really had a good start to the night and stuff looked really good. ... Offensively, off to a great start early. And then (Lance) McCullers, feel like he sort of settled in. He had a good curveball tonight and made it difficult on our guys. Really used his fastball sparingly but in good spots. It was just a tough night all around."
The Mariners gave Kirby run support in the first two innings. They got two runners on-base in the first and Rowdy Tellez scored J.P. Crawford with a single. Dylan Moore added another with a solo homer to center field in the top of the second.
DMo rocket 🚀 #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/5XFrGWAEx4
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 23, 2025
Moore's home run was the last score of the game for Seattle and the final inning it had an advantage.
Isaac Paredes grounded into a force out to score Cam Smith and Mauricio Dubon scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Jose Altuve, both in the bottom of the third, to knot up the contest 2-2.
Houston broke the seal and took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth. Dubon hit an RBI single and Jeremy Pena hit a two-score triple to give the Astros a 5-2 lead.
Kirby, who was on a pitch count of 75-80, was pulled in the fourth after 72 pitches. He threw 3.2 innings, struck out four, walked one, hit two and allowed five earned runs on six hits.
"I thought the (velocity) was and he was attacking," Wilson said. "They were able to get some base runners. He did break a couple bats in the process. Seeing George out there and him attacking with his stuff is what you love to see, and definitely something to build on."
George Kirby, 96mph Dart. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/VgCneyg7Jw
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 23, 2025
Altuve scored three more runs with a solo home run in the fifth and a two-run homer in sixth to bolster Houston's lead to 8-2. Victor Caratini capped off a 3-for-4 day with an RBI single, also in the sixth, for the eventual final of 9-2.
The Mariners were without franchise superstar Julio Rodriguez, who was a late-game scratch due to back tightness. The club had several chances to add to the scoreboard throughout the game but came up short several times. They left two stranded in the second, left them loaded in the fifth, two on in the seventh and another pair in the eighth. Seattle finished the game 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners stranded.
The Mariners will try and even the four-game series at 5:10 p.m. PT on Friday. Emerson Hancock will start for Seattle and Ryan Gusto will start for the Astros.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
MARINERS LEGEND KEN GRIFFEY JR. CRACKS FUNNY JOKE ABOUT HOME RUN STYLE: The National Baseball Hall of Famer talked about his signature home run walk in a recent interview with Seattle native and former NBA star Jamal Crawford. CLICK HERE
MARINERS ACTIVATE GEORGE KIRBY OFF INJURED LIST: One of the Mariners best pitchers will make his season debut against the team's biggest rivals Thursday. CLICK HERE
UPCOMING PITCHING MATCHUPS FOR SERIES BETWEEN MARINERS, ASTROS: Former All-Star starting pitcher George Kirby will make his season debut for the Mariners against the team's biggest division rivals. CLICK HERE
Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.
