SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners will look to earn their first series win of the season and the first series win against the New York Yankees in nearly two years in the rubber match at 1:10 p.m. PT on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

Luckily for the Mariners, the pitcher on the hill will be on who, historically, has done well against the Yankees.

George Kirby will start for Seattle coming off an outing against the Cleveland Guardians on May 27 where he allowed just one earned run in six innings of work in a 5-1 M's win. It was his first quality start of the season and first quality start for any Mariners pitcher of the season.

It's been nearly three years since Kirby, who grew up just under an hour away from New York City in Rye, N.Y., has pitched against the Bronx Bombers.

Kirby has two career outings against New York, both of which came in his All-Star season in 2023. However, both outings were quality starts.

Kirby's first go against the Yankees was May 31, 2023, at T-Mobile Park. He held New York scoreless for eight innings, struck out seven batters, allowed three hits and didn't issue a free base.

The Elon College product's second outing against the Yankees wasn't as crisp, but still officially listed as a quality start. He went seven innings against New York on June 20, 2023, at Yankee Stadium in New York. He fanned four and allowed three earned runs on eight hits (one home run).

"The things that he's been doing consistently to have success — the usage of his arsenal, the way that he attacks the zone, his ability to use his fastballs — all of that is what goes into what George does," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Wednesday. "He gets himself into good counts, he stays ahead, he controls the game. Definitely against (the Yankees), that's what he's gonna need to do again today."

Kirby missed the first two months of last season due to right shoulder inflammation. The injury also kept him out for most of spring training. He ended up finishing 2025 with a 4.21 ERA and struck out 137 batters in 126 innings pitched across 23 starts.

If Kirby is able to post a quality start against New York, it will mark his second-straight strong performance against a playoff team from last season. And it could be a solid resume builder for what could be the 28-year-old's second career All-Star season.

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