Mariners’ George Kirby didn’t want to pitch 7th inning
More Teams. More Games.
Rene Pinto, Harold Ramirez and Isaac Paredes all go deep for the Rays to lead a late charge vs. the Mariners. (0:43)
Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby regrets one pitch from Friday night and didn’t even want to be on the mound when it happened.
Kirby gave up a game-tying two-run homer to Tampa Bay’s René Pinto in the seventh inning on what was his 102nd and final pitch of the game.
“I wish I wasn’t out there for the seventh [inning], to be honest,” Kirby said after the game.
“I was at 90 pitches,” Kirby explained, “and I didn’t think I really could go any more. But it is what it is.”
The Rays pulled away for a 7-4 victory while Kirby earned a no-decision.
On Saturday, Kirby said he “screwed up” with Friday’s postgame comments.
“Obviously I screwed up. That’s not me,” Kirby said Saturday. “Skip’s always got to pry that ball out of my hands. Just super uncharacteristic of me as a player and who I am out on that mound. I love competing. Like I said, I just screwed up.”
Kirby, 25, is 10-9 with a 3.48 ERA and was a first-time All-Star this season. He leads the Mariners with 17 quality starts and has exceeded 100 pitches five times this year. However, Kirby has not won a game since Aug. 5, a stretch that has seen him go 0-1 with four no-decisions.
In his second year in the majors, the 2019 first-round pick has already thrown a career-high 165⅔ innings for a Mariners team that is looking to make consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in over 20 years.