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George Kirby narrowly missed a devastating injury on Tuesday night while he was on the haug.
The Seattle Mariners Pitcher took a 102.7 mph line drive right to the face, resulting in some bleeding from the mouth.
With two outs in the fifth lap, Kirby threw a fastball in to Oriole’s third Baseman Ramón Urías, which he immediately tore right back in the middle. Baseball hit Kirby’s face, and he immediately jogged off the field as the blood flowed from his mouth.
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Seattle Mariners, starting pitcher George Kirby heads to Dugout after being hit in the face of the ball during the fifth round against Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)
Kirby left the game, but he was hit by the ball at his 95th pitch, so it’s probably that his evening may have been over.
“I didn’t even see it coming,” Kirby said. “Just put my hand up. So just glad that kind of thing was missing out on any of the bad spots on my face.”
“It didn’t even hurt, honestly,” Kirby said after the game via mlb.com. “It got my hand – like 50/50, hand/mouth, but we’re good. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Kirby was immediately examined by the Mariners training staff after what manager Dan Wilson called a “scary” moment.
George Kirby from Seattle Mariners responds after taking a ball in the face during the fifth round against Baltimore Orioles in T-Mobile Park June 3, 2025 in Seattle. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
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“It’s just so close and you just hope for the best,” Wilson said. “It looked like he was a little surprised over the whole thing, even though he went away.
“But he was able to collect it all together. There was some blood coming down when he came out of the field where it got him in the face. But I think he will be in order.”
The 27-year-old right-handed start of the season was delayed until the end of May due to inflammation in his caste shoulder, and he had not yet settled to his standard. He came into the season and owned a 3.43 era in his career, but this number this season is up to 8.56, even after five laps of two-run ball on Tuesday.
“I’m doing well right now,” Kirby said. “Obviously you don’t want to throw so many seats in five laps, but I’m glad I’m doing really well after that. So it’s a good sign.”
Seattle Mariners, which starts pitcher George Kirby (68) responds next to Catcher Cal Raleigh during a haug visit in the fourth round of a game against Washington Nationals 28 May 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The starter is still expected to have x -rays on Wednesday.
