The veteran has experience in elimination games before, and he'll take the ball in Game 7 on Monday night, looking to send the M's to their first World Series ever.
TORONTO -- After being named the starting pitcher for Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday night, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby had little to say, showing a laser-like focus and demeanor heading into the biggest start of his life.
Kirby sat at the podium after the Mariners' Game 6 loss and spoke for all of about a minute and 40 seconds, but he did offer a little insight into his mindset before the M's take on the Toronto Blue Jays again at Rogers Centre on Monday.
Big game experience
Though it's just his second experience in the postseason, Kirby has accumulated a real playoff resume already. He picked up a save, in Toronto, in Game 2 of the 2022 American League Wild Card series, clinching that series win for Seattle.
He also threw seven scoreless innings against the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS, a game that was an elimination game for Seattle.
Furthermore, Kirby started Game 1 of the ALDS this season for Seattle, going five innings and giving up two earned runs. He also started Game 5 of the ALDS against the Tigers, giving Seattle five more innings of one-run ball. The Mariners won that game in 15 innings.
How much confidence does his success in those elimination/big games help him heading into Game 7?
"Yeah, I love pitching under pressure and I'm super glad I'm able to get game 7."
What he learned from Game 3
Kirby was hit around by Toronto in Game 3 of this series, surrendering eight earned runs in four innings. He walked two and struck out four.
"They're aggressive. You've got to hit your spots and mix your pitches a lot. Make sure you get ahead."
The kitchen sink approach?
Manager Dan Wilson would figure to have a quick hook with Kirby considering that Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier, Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo all figure to be available out of the bullpen.
Because of that, expect Kirby to throw his entire repertoire at the Jays lineup early. If he gets through the lineup twice with success, that would figure to be a huge win for Wilson and Co.
News and notes
--This will be the first Game 7 in the Mariners' franchise history, but they are 3-0 in winner-take-all scenarios (Game 5, 1995 ALDS, Game 5, 2001 ALDS and Game 5, 2025 ALDS).
--First pitch is set for 5:03 p.m. PT.
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