Seattle Mariners Starter Aiming to Join Former Toronto Blue Jays Ace in History

George Kirby is looking to take the "control the zone" mantra to the next level.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (68) throws against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sept 4.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (68) throws against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sept 4. / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

When the Seattle Mariners take on the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, they'll do so with starting pitcher George Kirby on the mound.

Though Kirby has struggled of late, he's looking to make some unique baseball history by doing something that hasn't been done in the last 15 years.

Per @MarinersPR:

Kirby is trying to become the first right-hander to lead the Majors in SO/BB in consecutive seasons since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay did it for the Blue Jays in 2008–09.

Kirby had a 9.05 SO/W ratio a season ago and enters play on Tuesday at 7.71 this year. The best control artist in the game, he's walked just 21 batters in 167.0 innings. He's struck out 162, which is on pace to best last year's 172.

As for Halladay, he is one of the best pitchers of the last 30 years. He spent 16 years with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, winning 203 games against 105 losses. With a lifetime 3.38 ERA, he was an eight-time All-Star and a two-time Cy Young winner.

He also threw a no-hitter in the playoffs. He tragically died in 2017 at the age of 40. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

The Mariners will take the field at 6:40 p.m. PT on Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres. Kirby is 11-10 this season with a 3.61 ERA. He's made 29 starts and will be opposed by veteran right-hander Yu Darvish, who is recently off the restricted list.

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