SEATTLE -- George Kirby and the Mariners faced a significant injury scare on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park when the 2023 All-Star was hit by a 102.7 mph comebacker in the top of the fifth inning and was bleeding from his mouth as he walked off the field.
But Kirby, who had a noticeable bruise and cut on the right side of his mouth, said after Seattle’s 5-1 loss to the Orioles that he was OK.
“I didn't even see it coming, just put my hand up,” Kirby said. “I'm just glad it kind of missed any of the bad spots on my face.”
The up-the-middle liner from Baltimore’s Ramón Urías first hit Kirby in his pitching thumb, then ricocheted into his face, bouncing right to first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who picked it up to record the final out of the inning. Kirby was able to walk off the field on his own, and was led up the dugout’s tunnel by Mariners vice president of high performance and medical Rob Scheidegger.
The play came on Kirby’s 95th pitch and resulted in the third out of the frame, meaning that his outing was likely done regardless.
“I didn't even hurt, honestly,” Kirby said. “It got my hand -- like 50/50, hand/mouth, but we're good. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
Mariners manager Dan Wilson said that Kirby will undergo further evaluation, potentially including X-rays.
“You just don't know, sometimes, how those things go,” Wilson said. “Because you have a lot of adrenaline going at the same time. But was just glad, I'm really happy that and hoping things turn out OK. And it could have been something way worse.”
Kirby was making his third start since returning from the injured list after missing the first eight weeks of the season with right shoulder inflammation.
Despite needing 30 pitches in the first inning and laboring around a lot of consistent contact on Tuesday, Kirby mostly worked around traffic by surrendering just two runs over five innings. He gave up eight hits (all singles) and one walk while tallying three strikeouts.
And his pitch count was its highest since throwing 96 in his final start of 2024. Kirby threw 78 pitches over five innings his last time out, last Wednesday vs. the Nationals, and 72 over 3 2/3 innings in his season debut on May 22 in Houston.
“That was huge,” Kirby said. “I felt great. Obviously, I don't want to throw many pitches in five innings. But I'm glad I feel really good from it -- after it -- so that's a good sign.”
In that first inning, Kirby surrendered three soft singles -- 84.7 mph to Adley Rutschman, 72 mph to Gunnar Henderson (which tipped off shortstop J.P. Crawford’s glove) and 86 mph to Ryan O’Hearn -- to load the bases and force him to throw high-stress pitches at the outset. But he worked out of it with just one run surrendered, which Tellez made up for with a 404-foot solo blast an inning later.
But that would be the Mariners’ lone score on a night when Baltimore spin specialist Tomoyuki Sugano was dealing, with just four other hits and one walk over seven innings.
Kirby also stranded two runners in the second inning with consecutive strikeouts to leadoff man Jackson Holliday (backfoot slider) and Rutschman (elevated fastball) -- both well-executed pitches that looked much more like Kirby at his peak.
“I think they just got a little lucky with some of the hits getting through,” Kirby said. “But I definitely executed a hell a lot better this week. So, I’m super happy about that.”
In his final frame, just before the comebacker, Kirby quickly generated two outs then surrendered three straight singles that put the Mariners behind again. Opposing hitters are now 10-for-21 this season vs. Kirby with two outs.
The Mariners have lost all three of Kirby’s starts this season, but there were signs that he’s begun to turn things around. It also appears that he’s avoided a significant injury scare, which is a sigh of relief for a rotation that’s been without Logan Gilbert for nearly six weeks and that just returned Bryce Miller from the IL.