SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners are set to begin the 2026 regular season against the Cleveland Guardians at 7:10 p.m. PT on Thursday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

The Mariners have legitimate championship aspirations and expectations for the first time since the early 2000s. 

As has been the case for the last several years of the franchise, Seattle's starting rotation will likely be at the forefront of the team's success.

The Mariners will begin the season with a rotation of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo and Emerson Hancock.

Usual starter Bryce Miller will begin the season on the 15-day injured list due to an oblique strain.

Seattle will have an initial rotation of Gilbert, Kirby, Woo and Hancock (in order) for the four-game series against Cleveland.

When Kirby steps to the mound of Game 2 of the series Friday, he'll be sporting a new piece of hardware he first broke out in spring training.

While starting catcher Cal Raleigh was away from the team for the World Baseball Classic, Kirby started wearing a PitchCom device on his belt.

The PitchCom, usually reserved for catchers, allows players to hit buttons to signal a specific pitch.

Kirby spoke after his first start with the PitchCom against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 8.

The 2023 All-Star spoke about wanting to approach this season with more control and agency over his pitching, which he said the PitchCom helped with.

Kirby's biggest calling card as a pitcher is his elite command and possessing a tool that gives him more agency will likely help him go through his outings with more confidence.

Kirby used the PitchCom on 8-to-10 pitches out of 50-plus in his outing against the Brewers, which likely indicates it won't be a common tool.

Raleigh is the captain of the ship and has primary say on the pitch calls but he's supportive of Kirby's decision to use the device.

"Ultimately it's their game," Raleigh said in an interview Wednesday. "I want them to be comfortable in what they're throwing. But it's a team effort. It's both of us doing homework, us going over the reports and us being on the same page when we're out there. And typically we are, so I don't think of that being too much of a thing."

Kirby was one of four pitchers on the rotation last season, alongside Miller, Woo and Gilbert, to miss time due to injuries during the season.

The rotation as a collective entered the spring with the goal of putting together a full major league camp of work in the ramp up to the regular season.

Most of the rotation was able to accomplish that goal of a whole spring of work. If Kirby's comfortability with the PitchCom translates to the mound in the regular season, then he could be due for one of the best seasons of his career.

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