George Kirby calls out Mariners manager's decision after Rays defeat - "I didn’t think I needed to go any more"
The Seattle Mariners’ 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays infuriated George Kirby and made him call out Mariner’s manager Scott Servais' decision-making abilities.
The Mariners were trying to safeguard their 4-2 lead while Kirby was throwing his 93rd pitch through six innings. Kirby vented out about the manager’s decision to keep making him pitch even during the seventh inning when he wasn’t able to perform at his best.
Rays’ Jose Siri doubled off Kirby along with one out in the seventh inning. Kirby’s final pitch of Friday night’s game tied the score at 4-4. Rene Pinto registered a two-run homer off Kirby.
Sports reporter Jake Garcia posted Kirby’s postgame interview on Twitter.
“I didn’t execute a good pitch. I wish I wasn’t out there for the seventh to be honest. So, I was at 90 pitches and I didn’t think I needed to go any more but it is what it is.” – George Kirby called out managerial decisions in a postgame interview.
Kirby has been one of the top pitchers in the American League. However, his performance in Friday night’s game is making spectators question the abilities of the Mariners starting pitcher.
George Kirby has been struggling to keep up his performance level
The last few weeks haven’t been easy for Kirby.
The last four starts he made for the Seattle Mariners were extremely shaky. Three of the four were made amidst extremely humid conditions in Kansas City, Chicago and New York. He earned a 6.00 ERA along with 14 earned runs through 21 innings. He’s placed at 0-1 with three no-decisions.
In his first fourteen starts for the 2023 season, he had registered 75 strikeouts with six walks in 87 2/3 innings for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 12.50, which is currently an MLB-leading ratio. He has an 18-14 win-to-loss ratio with an ERA of 3.44, along with 284 strikeouts. He was named an All-Star in 2023.