MARYVALE, Ariz. -- You had to really be paying attention to see it, and even then, peering closely. You also had to be there, because the game wasn’t televised.
On Sunday, it might’ve looked like George Kirby was adjusting his belt throughout his second Cactus League start vs. the Brewers. But in actuality, the Mariners’ right-hander was ticking into the device attached to his waist, and one that had competitive significance.
It was a PitchCom transmitter, but engineered in reverse.
Yes, Kirby was calling some, but not all, of his offerings -- and it sounds like the practice is here to stay.
“It's just a way for me to have more conviction in some of my pitches,” Kirby said. “If there's something that I really want to throw, instead of shaking 20 times to get to one, you press it and go from there.”
How’s a certain catcher who loathes being shaken off going to feel about it? After all, Cal Raleigh is away from camp while competing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
“Shh!” pitching coach Pete Woodworth joked.
Humor aside, Raleigh is in the know. And this isn’t by any means a wholesale shift in strategy among the pitching staff. Rather, it’s simply suited more specifically for Kirby, for ...
1. His profile as one of the best strike-throwers in the sport
2. His six-pitch arsenal that’s constantly evolving
3. His extremely competitive personality
“It's a way for me just to own my game a little better,” Kirby said. “I feel like there's always a pitch or two where I'm like, 'Ah, I wish I didn't throw that.' And it's kind of the worst thing to do mentally.”
The last part is the most telling.
Kirby has been outwardly vocal about his devotion to the game’s mental side the past few seasons, aided heavily by Mariners mental performance coach Adam Bernero.
At times, “Furious George” wasn’t just a nickname, and even during his All-Star season in 2023, he was regularly living on a pitch-by-pitch basis. It was an emotional state that, with hindsight, he admitted can be unsustainable.
That said, Kirby still wants to win every pitch -- but not like past points where it consumed him. Which is precisely why the reverse PitchCom might be an answer.
“When he's at his best, he's fully convicted,” Woodworth said. “When he's not, he's in between -- whether in between on that pitch call, or hard contact does that to guys. They start getting a little fearful. When he's convicted, he's really good. So this is a way for him to be convicted more often.”
This also isn’t a full-fledged game-calling takeover.
Kirby estimates that he used it only 8-10 times over his three-plus innings on Sunday, with Andrew Knizner behind the plate. That could increase by the regular season when he’ll be pitching deeper into games, or taper off in starts where he and Raleigh are in a rhythm.
This is the beta stage, after all, which is what Spring Training is for.
Kirby first used the device during his second outing of spring, in a simulated game during the team’s off-day last Monday. But the concept had been on Kirby’s mind dating back to the offseason, then it was part of his player plan upon arriving in Arizona.
For background, PitchCom technology was implemented for the 2022 season, primarily to curb sign stealing and quicken game pace with the pitch timer, which was also installed that year. And it’s not totally novel for pitchers to use them to call their own game. Former Mariners starter Marco Gonzales explored the idea in ‘23 but then suffered a season-ending injury.
However, Raleigh’s detailed scouting acumen, Platinum Glove defense, and above all, his rapport with the pitching staff, has been the primary reason why no Mariners have called their own pitches.
“Cal is elite at what he does,” Woodworth said. “Guys learn that very quickly. They trust Cal, and they’ve gotten to that point where they’re just fully convicted in whatever that guy says.
“But my least favorite conversation is, ‘I didn’t really want to throw that pitch.’ We ask why didn’t you shake, and it’s the clock was running or whatever it may be. Having the PitchCom on, [Kirby] is not calling the whole game, but it gives him the empowerment to give his opinion when he wants to.”