On Friday night’s game at T-Mobile Park, the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 1-0, the team’s first of 2024, opening their season with another amazing start.
Quite the season debut for George Kirby as the Mariners win 1-0 pic.twitter.com/yWa2rD7uFU
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 30, 2024
George Kirby allowed just two hits and struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings, while J.P. Crawford homered. Crawford ambushed an 0-1 cutter from Nick Pivetta for a solo home run in the sixth inning.
Mariners manager Scott Servais said,
“That’s what we do. It’s a tight game. Every play is big, every at-bat is big, and every out that your bullpen is able to get you late in the game is huge. And you really have to execute in those spots.”
In the Friday win, Kirby struck out eight over 6.2 scoreless innings and opened his season with a perfect start, in 2023 he lasted at least six innings in 23 of his 31 starts.
He faces somewhat of trouble in the opening inning, walking two of the first three batters and allowing a runner to advance to third on a wild pitch. Kirby shared,
“I was a little amped up. I kind of just focused on my breathing, settled in, and tried not to make the moment too big. Just go out there and throw strikes.”
Kirby had settled in after issuing a pair of walks in the first inning, allowing just two baserunners over his final 5.2 frames en route to a 1-0 victory.
The right-hander went 13-10 last year with a 3.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a stellar 172:19 K: BB across 31 starts. Kirby’s off to another good start in 2024 — he’s currently lined up for a home matchup next week versus the Guardians.
The Mariners had led MLB in one-run wins in 2021 and ’22 with a combined 65 but strayed in ’23 when they were 24-26 in such contests.
