Mariners seemingly avoid disaster with George Kirby vs. Orioles

George Kirby has his best start for the Mariners since returning from injury, but is forced to leave the game after getting hit in the face.

There’s no denying that losing 5-1 to the Baltimore Orioles in Tuesday’s series opener is simply unacceptable for a Seattle Mariners team with serious designs on a playoff spot (and more) this year. As much as the Orioles have severely under-performed so far in 2025, it doesn’t change the fact they entered the contest with a poor 22-36 record which included just 10-19 on the road.

However, one loss in a 162-game season is a lot easier to deal with than possibly losing one of the mainstays of your rotation to a serious injury, which was the potential scenario facing the Mariners on Tuesday night. Making it worse was that the scenario involved George Kirby, who had only recently come back from right shoulder inflammation.

George Kirby’s outing ends in painful fashion

The righty was forced to leave the game after being hit in the face by a comebacker which clocked in at 102.7 mph, resulting in a bleeding lip and bruising on the right side of his mouth. At least the ball ricocheted towards Rowdy Tellez at first base for him to record the final out of the fifth inning, but either way Kirby’s day was over.

Kirby spoke to the media after the game and did his best to let everyone know that he was okay. He said:

“(It) didn’t even hurt, honestly. It got my hand – like, 50-50 hand-mouth – but we’re good. I didn’t even see it coming, just put my hand up. I’m just glad it kind of missed any of the bad spots on my face.”

Despite Kirby’s comments, as per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Mariners manager Dan Wilson did caution that the 2023 All-Star will still undergo further evaluation, which could include X-rays. Wilson said:

“You just don’t know, sometimes, how those things go, because you have a lot of adrenaline going at the same time. But (we’re) just glad, I’m really happy and hoping that things turn out okay. It could have been something way worse.”

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Mariners encouraged by Kirby’s start prior to the injury

Whether you consider it ironic or not, Tuesday night was Kirby’s best start yet since returning from injury. He threw 95 pitches in total and allowed eight hits, a walk and two earned runs, while also striking out three.

Contrast this with the 27-year-old’s two previous starts, when he allowed 13 hits, three walks and 11 earned runs in 8.2 combined innings. This led to a lot of understandable concern, but along with the reality that he needed to get back into game shape after not even pitching during spring training action.

Overall, Kirby felt good about his outing even allowing for being hit in the face. He said:

“(I’m) just glad I pitched a little better today. I was able to limit some of those hits early on. The heater felt good; off-speed felt great. Yeah, glad to see another day.”

Pending the results of further evaluation, Kirby is scheduled to make his next start in Sunday’s series finale versus the Angels in Los Angeles. As for the Mariners, they will first look to tie things up with the Orioles by sending Emerson Hancock to the mound on Wednesday night.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

How encouraged are you by Kirby’s outing on Tuesday night? This aside, what are your thoughts on the Seattle Mariners’ performance in general against the Orioles in the series opener? Let us know in the comments section below.