Right-hander George Kirby delivered a dominant performance on Sunday afternoon, striking out a career-best 14 batters over seven innings to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. The result snapped a five-game skid for the Mariners and prevented a series sweep at the hands of their division rivals.
Listed as narrow underdogs with odds around +105 before first pitch, the Mariners leaned on Kirby to halt their recent slide, and he responded with one of the most efficient outings of his career. Kirby allowed only two hits, did not walk a batter, and retired the first 11 batters he faced before retiring the final 10 he saw. His 14 strikeouts matched the most in a single game this season, equaling the mark set by Miami’s Max Meyer, and were the most by a Seattle pitcher since James Paxton fanned 16 in May 2018.
Seattle generated just enough offense to support Kirby’s effort. Donovan Solano delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning, and Randy Arozarena contributed three hits, including a run-scoring double in the third. Jorge Polanco also drove in a run in the fifth after Arozarena reached on a single and stole second.
Angels starter Tyler Anderson fell to 2-3 on the season after allowing eight hits and three runs, two of which came in the fifth, in another outing that extended his winless streak to nine starts. He struck out six in 4 2/3 innings before being lifted from the game.
Los Angeles briefly held the lead after Taylor Ward connected on a two-run homer in the fourth inning, scoring Mike Trout, who broke up Kirby’s early perfect game bid with a two-out single. Ward’s home run was his 18th of the season and gave the Angels a short-lived 2-1 advantage.
Despite the setback, Trout continued his dominance against the Mariners. His run scored tied him with Rickey Henderson for the most against Seattle in Major League Baseball history with 145, while his total bases against the club reached 435, matching Rafael Palmeiro’s record.
Seattle’s bullpen preserved the one-run lead. Andrés Muñoz returned to the mound after a week-long rest and recovered from two recent blown saves. He earned his 18th save despite issuing a leadoff walk to Jorge Soler in the ninth. Muñoz sealed the win by striking out Trout to end the game.
The Angels struck out 18 times, struggling to make contact throughout the afternoon. It was their second loss in six games.
Looking ahead, the Mariners will send Emerson Hancock (2-2, 5.19 ERA) to the mound Monday to open a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Angels are set to host the Oakland Athletics, with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (1-5, 3.23 ERA) scheduled to start.
