George Kirby is the kind of pitcher every rotation covets: consistent, durable, and almost allergic to walks. Since debuting with the Seattle Mariners on May 8, 2022, the right-hander from Rye, New York has quietly built one of the more dependable résumés among AL starters — hovering around 180 strikeouts per season and keeping his WHIP near 1.10 year after year.
Quick Facts
- Full name: George Kirby
- Position: Starting Pitcher
- Team: Seattle Mariners
- Number: 68
- Bats / Throws: Right / Right
- Height / Weight: 6’4″ / 216 lb
- Born: February 4, 1998 (age 28) — Rye, NY, USA 🇺🇸
- MLB Debut: May 8, 2022
Background
Kirby grew up in the northeast and developed his game around one core skill: throwing strikes. Seattle drafted him banking on exactly that, and he rewarded the organization by reaching the majors quickly and sticking. He’s been a fixture in the Mariners’ rotation ever since, giving the club the kind of inning-eating reliability that’s genuinely hard to find.
Career Highlights
His best season to date came in 2024, when Kirby posted a 3.53 ERA over 191 innings, racking up 14 wins and 179 strikeouts with a razor-thin 1.07 WHIP. That combination of volume and efficiency put him firmly in the conversation of the AL’s top starters.
The 2025 campaign brought some natural regression — a 4.21 ERA, 10 wins, and 137 strikeouts across 126 innings — but Kirby bounced back in 2026 with a 3.76 ERA and 110 Ks in 127 innings, finishing 8-9 in a year that tested the whole Seattle staff.
Season-by-Season Stats
- 2024: 14-11, 3.53 ERA, 179 K, 1.07 WHIP, 191.0 IP
- 2025: 10-8, 4.21 ERA, 137 K, 1.19 WHIP, 126.0 IP
- 2026: 8-9, 3.76 ERA, 110 K, 1.28 WHIP, 127.0 IP
Awards & Recognition
No Cy Young hardware yet, but Kirby’s name keeps coming up whenever reliable AL starters are discussed. His steady growth — gradual, never flashy — is exactly the profile Seattle has built their rotation around. The Mariners know what they’re getting every fifth day, and that consistency is its own kind of award.
One More Thing
In an era where pitchers barely see a bat, Kirby actually hits right-handed — a small but telling detail about a competitor who takes every part of the game seriously. It fits the profile of a pitcher whose biggest weapon has always been his own discipline on the mound.
