Without Woo, Seattle Starters are Set for Series with the Detroit Tigers
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Just as the Seattle Mariners were making their charge to the American League West title, they got a taste of sour news. Starting pitcher Bryan Woo, who had been the ace of the staff in 2025, experienced inflammation of his pectoral muscle, forcing him to miss his final start of the regular season.
Since then, the Mariners have been very cautious with the 25-year-old starter, pushing back his throwing sessions until they scrimmaged this week. There was hope that Woo would be ready to go for the Division Series, but in late-breaking news, he has been left off the 26-man roster for the M's upcoming round.
Still, the pitcher and his team are crossing their fingers and hoping that rest and low-level workouts will help him heal in time for the League Championship Series, should Seattle advance to the next round.
"A positive day," Woo told the media on Thursday after he finished throwing. "I'm still not where I want to be in terms of game speed of everything, but in terms of how everything's progressed, [I'm] happy with it, considering a week ago I wasn't even throwing yet. And then a week from now, hopefully, we'll be in a better spot."
With Woo out, George Kirby will take the ball in Game 1. He went 10-8 with a 4.21 ERA, 137 strikeouts, and 29 walks in 126 innings pitched. Upon learning he would be the first man in the rotation, he discussed how grateful he was to be in such an important position.
“Super honored,” Kirby said about being named as the starter. “It's a big game and something you always dream of, being able to start Game 1 or any game in the playoffs, for that matter.”
Luis Castillo (11-8. 3.54 ERA, 162 strikeouts will be tasked as the starter in Game 2. While manager Dan Wilson has yet to reveal the team's Game 3 hurler, it's widely believed that it will be Logan Gilbert.
