Seattle Mariners All-Star pitcher George Kirby is mired in a bit of a slump, and that continued on Friday night in Tampa Bay.
Nursing a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, Kirby took the mound having already thrown 93 pitches. Nine pitches later, Rays catcher Rene Pinto smacked a two-run home run to left field, tying the game at four and starting a rally that saw Tampa Bay score five unanswered runs.
Kirby was promptly removed from the game.
After the 7-4 defeat, Kirby vented his frustration with manager Scott Servais and the decision to send him back out for the seventh inning.
George Kirby was visibly frustrated postgame.
He gave up the game-tying two-run homer on his 102nd pitch.
"I wish I wasn't out there for the 7th to be honest."
Says there will be a conversation soon | #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/17XmheTb1O
— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) September 9, 2023
“I wish I wasn’t out there for the seventh, to be honest,” Kirby said. “I was at (more than) 90 pitches. I didn’t think I needed to go any more. But it is what it is.”
Kirby was then asked if there was a discussion in the dugout about the decision.
“There’ll be a conversation soon,” he said.
Servais refused to second-guess the decision, arguing that the bullpen was a bit thin and suggesting that Kirby had plenty left in the tank. The results, of course, would counter that notion.
“Basically, you’re at the bottom of the order, 7-8-9. He’d done a really good job handling those guys at that point,” Servais said, via the Seattle Times. “We were thin in the bullpen tonight, so you’re just trying to stretch (him) a bit.”
Whether it was a bad decision by Servais or just another rough outing for Kirby, the bottom line is that the Mariners took the loss and are now 3-5 on their 10-game, 10-day road trip.
