ANAHEIM -- The George Kirby strut has become the trademark gesture for the Mariners right-hander when completing a strikeout, the slight one-hop just after his follow-through to the plate, followed by a brisk pace off the mound -- all carried in one swift unison.
If you’ve caught on to the strut once, it’s impossible to miss henceforth.
The mechanics of Kirby’s delivery are so clean, so simple and necessitate very few ancillary movements building from the ground up and through his powerful release, allowing the strut to manifest naturally. But make no mistake, there’s also a credence of confidence that the strut carries -- the finishing touch to an artist at work, but instead of a paintbrush, Kirby’s accessory is a baseball.
Kirby strutted his way to a whopping 14 strikeouts on Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium -- the most in his young career, the most by a Mariners pitcher this season and tied with Miami’s Max Meyer for the most in all of MLB in 2025.
His heroics lifted Seattle to a 3-2 victory that snapped the club’s season-worst losing streak at five -- and underscored just how badly the reeling Mariners need the 2023 All-Star to return to the elite form that he flashed on Sunday.
“It's just a great sign as I'm progressing through the season,” Kirby said. “We needed a big one today, and hopefully this sets the tone.”
Kirby also picked up his 500th career K, making him the third-fastest by innings to reach that mark in franchise history; he did so in 527 2/3 innings, behind only James Paxton (492 2/3) and Logan Gilbert (503 2/3)
He overpowered the Halos primarily with his two- and four-seam fastballs and slider, slicing his way through the strike zone with an uptick in velocity (averaging 96.6 mph) and the pinpoint command that’s made him arguably the sport’s best strike-thrower, with half of his strikeouts coming looking.
Sunday could be the true spark to Kirby’s season, after he missed the first eight weeks with right shoulder inflammation then went 0-3 with an 8.56 ERA in his first three outings upon returning.
Those hiccups weren’t necessarily defined by a lack of stuff, but a few lapses that compounded -- such as struggles with two outs vs. the Astros on May 22, three homers vs. the Nationals on May 28 and a 102.7 mph comebacker that left him with a bloodied lip on Tuesday vs. the Orioles.
“It's probably one of the most important starts we’ve had,” said catcher Mitch Garver, who filled in as Cal Raleigh missed his first game all season on a pre-planned rest day. “We can pump him up as much as we need to, to tell him how good he is, but he also has to prove it to himself. We know who George is, and that's the guy he can be.”
Indeed, at his best, Kirby has arguably the highest ceiling of any pitcher within a Mariners rotation that was arguably the sport’s best in 2024, but one that’s weathered injuries and inconsistencies in '25. Kirby’s 11.3 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, are 10th-most in MLB since his debut in '22.
“Their whole staff, we've seen a lot over the past couple of years what they're able to do,” said Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe. “And George is always a tough at-bat. But today was especially tough.”
Kirby’s lone blemishes were a two-out single in a 1-2 count from Mike Trout in the fourth inning, which was followed three pitches later by a 432-foot homer from Taylor Ward that evaporated the Mariners’ one-run lead. But thanks to a two-spot a half-inning later -- via RBI singles from Jorge Polanco from the right side and struggling veteran Donovan Solano -- the Mariners pulled ahead again for good.
Because to be sure, Kirby probably should’ve been pitching with far more cushion after Seattle strung together 11 hits but stranded 11 runners and went 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Beyond this weekend, this venue had not been kind to the Mariners of late; they entered Sunday having lost seven of their past eight games here dating back to last July 12, with five of those defeats by one run.
And things went down to the wire in the bottom of the ninth, when Andrés Muñoz went 0-for-4 on first-pitch strikes that included a leadoff walk. But in his first appearance since last Sunday, the all-world closer K’d Trout to secure his 18th save.