This Poor George Kirby Stat Will Blow Your Mind as He Starts Again For Seattle Mariners
In this story:
In two starts since coming off the injured list, Seattle Mariners star George Kirby hasn't looked like himself yet. He's gone 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA. The 27-year-old has thrown only 8.2 innings in the two starts, and owns a WHIP of 1.85.
Kirby missed the entire season with right shoulder inflammation before coming back for a start against the Houston Astros on May 22.
We recently caught up with Buster Olney of ESPN on the Refuse to Lose podcast to discuss Kirby's issues and to find out how long needs to transpire before getting nervous about a guy who is "trying to figure it out."
Long time. He's earned that. You know, he was that good in 2024. And, you would assume he's going to be better as he moves forward, but what we've seen the first two starts is a lot of hard contact. I was looking at some of the numbers as I was getting ready to talk to you today. He has a soft contact rate of just 3%. That's impossible for it to have a number that low. And, it's pretty clear that, the last couple of years his slider has been a really valuable pitch for him, and in two starts this year, the slider? He's gotten hammered with that. And I do think that when guys come off the injured list, that it does take them some time typically, and maybe he's going to need four or five starts and then eventually, he'll go back to being in the reliable pitcher that he's been in the past.
An All-Star in 2023, Kirby is 35-28 lifetime with a 3.56 ERA. He'll pitch again on Tuesday as the M's host the Baltimore Orioles at 6:40 p.m. PT.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," as he talks about the news of Randy Johnson's No. 51 retirement in 2026. Also, we play Johnson's comments on his displeasure that this hasn't happened already and we go back to the situation around Johnson's departure. Then, Josh Rawitch, the President of the Baseball Hall of Fame, stops by to talk about Ichiro's impending induction to Cooperstown. And oh yeah, Cal Raleigh is on a historic hot streak. CLICK HERE:
BIG ANNIVERSARY: June 2nd is a huge day in M's history, as it was the day that the Mariners selected Ken Griffey Jr. No. 1 overall in 1987. CLICK HERE:
GETTING HIS DUE: Randy Johnson will have his No. 51 retired by the Mariners in 2026, marking the fifth number to be retired by the franchise. 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.
