Seattle Mariners pitcher George Kirby took a comebacker to the face during a Tuesday start against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles had runners on the corners with two outs in the top of the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash. Kirby was a strike away from getting the final out with Baltimore third baseman Ramon Urias at the plate.
Urias smashed a fastball away right back toward the mound. The 102.7-mph line drive struck Kirby squarely in the jaw. The Mariners All-Star somehow managed to stay on his feet, but blood was soon seen dripping from Kirby’s mouth.
George Kirby just took 102.7 mph off the jaw.
— Avi Miller (@AviMiIIer) June 4, 2025
Yikes 🫣 pic.twitter.com/x1ecHt5C9N
Fortunately for the Mariners, the ball rolled right toward Rowdy Tellez at first base for the final out of the inning.
There’s never a good time to get hit in the face with a baseball. But Seattle may have gotten the best-case scenario on Tuesday when Kirby got him.
The ball would have likely ended up as an RBI single up the middle had it not deflected off Kirby. The 6’4″ right-hander was also at 95 pitches at that point and was unlikely to come back out for the sixth inning regardless.
Kirby was also able to soften the blow by getting a hand on the ball before it hit him in the face. Otherwise, the entire ordeal could have been much, much worse.
George Kirby struck in the mouth by a comeback hit…
— Russell Hartness (@RussellHartness) June 4, 2025
Luckily, he gets a hand on it, but it still causes damage@Mariners pic.twitter.com/OmNUqVPyK2
Kirby confirmed after the game that he was fine once the bleeding had subsided. He allowed eight hits and two earned runs across five innings in a 5-1 Mariners loss to the Orioles.
