George Kirby didn’t just outpitch Aaron Nola on Tuesday, he flat-out dominated, turning in his best outing of the year as your Mariners snatched an electric 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at T-Mobile Park. This wasn’t just a win, it was a statement, especially after taking back-to-back series from the National League’s top two Wild Card teams.
Kirby Was Absolutely Filthy, You Guys
It’s been a weird season for Kirby, I’ve typed it a dozen times in the last five months. He’s walked too many batters, struck out too few, and getting crushed lately, giving up 11 runs in his last two starts. He’s been nibbling, failing to get chase or whiffs. But Tuesday? Tuesday was *different*.
Our guy looked like the near-ace we know he can be. He attacked the zone relentlessly with his four-seamer, ripping upper-90s fastballs with his best velocity of the season, hitting 97.9 mph. When he expanded the zone with that slow, bendy stuff, he got chase 49% of the time! Kirby generated a whopping 21 whiffs, his second most in a single game ever. Aggressive, sharp, and borderline unhittable, you saw it right from the jump. He opened the game throwing three middle-middle fastballs, all over 98 mph, to Kyle Schwarber, who swung through every single one. “I knew I had it today,” Kirby said after the game. He then got ahead of Trea Turner with more 99 mph fastballs, finishing him off with a devastating sweeper away. The third inning K of Bryson Stott? He painted a fastball low and away for a called strike, then threw a sweeper that made Stott swing at his shoes, before blowing 99 mph past him way up and out of the zone. That’s the pinpoint power pitching Kirby was once known for!
Cal Dingers and Clutch Outs
While Kirby put on a clinic, Cal Raleigh was doing what he does best: smashing another homer, his fourth on the series! The Phillies did scratch a run off Kirby in the second with a weak sequence of a ground ball single, a bloop single, and a line drive single. But after that, Kirby went on a tear, retiring 15 consecutive batters from the fourth until the eighth, when Bryce Harper snuck a two-out single to end Kirby’s night. No worries, José Ferrer made quick work of Luis Arraez, escaping the inning unscathed and preserving our 4-1 lead. The rest of the lineup scratched and clawed a few more runs late, rounding out an impressive, all-around, and fun win.
This team is cooking with gas, fresh off back-to-back series wins against the NL’s best Wild Card contenders. Every win like this in August means everything for the season. We’ll be here, screaming our lungs out at T-Mobile Park, ready for whatever they throw at us next. Let’s go, M’s!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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