Woo set for MRI after exiting strong start with pectoral tightness

HOUSTON -- Everything was shaping up so well for Bryan Woo and the Mariners during Friday night’s colossal series opener against the Astros that could determine the American League West -- until Seattle’s electric right-hander began his warmup tosses ahead of the bottom of the sixth inning.

Woo exhibited discomfort after a few tosses, none of them appearing with his typical exertion, which prompted an immediate mound visit from manager Dan Wilson and head athletic trainer Kyle Torgerson. And after a brief conferral, Woo walked off the mound and receded into the visiting clubhouse at Daikin Park.

Woo said postgame that he was dealing with pectoral tightness after Seattle finished off its 4-0 win, while noting that he will likely undergo an MRI on Saturday. The issue first surfaced during the fifth inning, at which point he notified Torgerson and Eduard Bazardo, who took over for Woo, began warming.

“I felt great all game,” Woo said, adding that this is the first time he’s dealt with a pectoral issue. “I just felt it at the end. And yeah, I thought that was just smart to not try to push it.”

While Wilson and Woo weren’t expressing significant concern, they also won’t know more until after imaging is taken.

“I just felt a little tightness,” Woo said. “I tried to come out and throw that sixth and didn't feel like it was best for the team. I felt like [Bazardo] was ready to go. We'll get some stuff done tomorrow, and I'll know more. I really don't know much so far.”

Woo had been on cruise control, with just one hit and one walk among the 17 batters he’d faced, while clinging to a 2-0 lead after booming homers from Julio Rodríguez and Eugenio Suárez that had mostly silenced Houston’s sellout crowd.

Woo had been extremely efficient, too, as he was at just 67 pitches (45 strikes) with seven K’s, while exhibiting a notable uptick in velocity. His four-seam fastball was up 0.8 mph from his season average while his sinker was up 1.2 mph, with each topping out at 97.9 mph.

The only real jam he faced was in the fourth, with two on and one out, but he escaped with a pair of emphatic punchouts to Jose Altuve (on a chase sweeper) and Zach Cole (on the first changeup he threw all night). Both secondaries, along with the slider, have made significant strides this season for the primary fastball pitcher.

“The changeup is such a tough pitch to get consistency out of,” Woo said. “I played with a couple of grips throughout the year. And it's such a hard pitch, unless it's a specialty of yours and you've just got feel for it. It's a tough pitch to develop. So ... you've got to keep throwing it. You’ve got to keep challenging yourself with locating it and getting it to the shape that you want, so that it fits your arsenal.”

After Woo departed, Bazardo -- who’s emerged as a reliable leverage option for Wilson, now with a 2.36 ERA in 69 games -- twirled two gritty innings to set the stage for Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz in the final two frames, as the Mariners completed just their fourth shutout in Houston since 2019. They were backed by four solo homers from a red-hot offense.

“I think you're obviously concerned in some ways, but I think in other ways, Bryan, he's a tough cookie,” Wilson said. “And I think it was smart that he let us know, and there was no reason to push it.”

Health had defined Woo's first four pro seasons until this breakout 2025, in which the 25-year-old pitched in the Midsummer Classic in Atlanta while blossoming into the ace of a Seattle staff that now includes four All-Stars. Including Friday’s outing, he has a 2.94 ERA over 186 2/3 innings (sixth most in MLB and by far a career high).

Yet up until this year, Woo had missed time due to Tommy John surgery (after being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, which carried into 2022), right forearm inflammation (2023), right medial elbow inflammation (2024) and a right hamstring strain (2024).

Woo has been on a fast track to being Seattle’s Game 1 starter for whatever postseason series it begins, if the club indeed reaches October. But the Mariners for now await his status after Friday’s departure.