George Kirby says he's OK after ball to face, Seattle Mariners lose 5-1 to Orioles
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 03: George Kirby #68 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after taking a ball to the face during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park on June 03, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
SEATTLE - Seattle Mariners starter George Kirby was adamant he was OK after a line drive from Ramón Urías partially caught him in the face and left him bloodied in the fifth inning of Tuesday night's 5-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
"It didn't even hurt, honestly," Kirby said, sporting a swollen lip after the game. "It got my hand – 50-50 hand/mouth – but we're good."
Kirby attempted to defend himself from the line drive and the ball deflected off the thumb of his glove before catching the right side of his mouth. The ball ricocheted directly to first baseman Rowdy Tellez as he was able to get the out on Urias to end the inning.
Kirby did not return for the sixth inning, but his outing was likely over anyway, having thrown 95 pitches.
Manager Dan Wilson said he also believed Kirby seemed to be OK, but they will take some X-rays to confirm the damage isn't significant.
Kirby was more blunt. He's fine.
"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with it," he said.
Kirby allowed two runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts in his third start this season after an extended injured list stint.
"I felt great," Kirby said. "Obviously, I don't want to throw that many pitches in five innings, but I'm glad I felt really good from it after it, so that's a good sign."
Kirby gave up three consecutive singles in both the first and fifth innings that both led to a run scoring for Baltimore. However, many of the hits were soft groundballs through the infield that found holes in the defense.
"I think they just got a little lucky with some of the hits getting through," Kirby said. "But I definitely executed a hell of a lot better this week, so super happy about that."
Recap:
Colton Cowser homered in his first game since being activated from the 60-day injured list as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Cowser, who hadn’t played in a major league game since March 30 due to a broken left thumb, cranked a solo shot to left field in the sixth inning for his second home run. It was Cowser’s first home run since March 29, and came shortly after Mariners right-hander George Kirby (0-3) exited after taking a line drive off his face.
The Orioles tagged Kirby for two runs, one in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Ramón Urías and another in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Ryan O’Hearn. Baltimore added two more run in the ninth inning.
Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (5-3), meanwhile, was superb. The 35-year-old rookie yielded just one run across seven innings, with the lone blemish being a solo home run by Seattle first baseman Rowdy Tellez.
The Mariners struggled against the Orioles’ bullpen before dropping their 27th game of the season.
Key moment
With two outs in the fifth inning, Kirby threw a fastball inside to Urías, which he promptly ripped right back up the middle. The baseball made contact with Kirby’s face, and he immediately jogged off the field as blood flowed from his mouth. Kirby did not return for the sixth inning.
Key stat
Cowser has reached base safely in all seven career games against Seattle. He’s gone 8 for 20 against the Mariners with two doubles, three RBIs and seven walks.
Up next
Seattle right-hander Emerson Hancock (2-2, 5.64 ERA) starts Wednesday. Right-hander Cade Povich (1-4, 5.29) will start for the Orioles in the second game of the three-game set.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting and The Associated Press.
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