Mariners pitcher George Kirby was left bloodied in a scary scene Tuesday night when he was hit in the face with a 102.7-mph line drive off the bat of Orioles infielder Ramon Urias.
Luckily, Kirby used his cat-like reflexes to get his hand and glove up right before the ball the ball struck him in the fifth inning of a 5-1 loss.
Kirby had blood on his face after being hit, but avoided a broken jaw or any other serious injury in what proved to be his final pitch after the Mariners converted an out on the play.
“(Feeling) pretty good,” Kirby said after the game, per the Seattle Times. “Didn’t even hurt, honestly. It got my hand — like 50/50 hand (and) mouth. But we’re good.”
While the Mariners suffered a loss Tuesday, they are certainly counting their blessings that Kirby got his hand up to brace some of the impact and avoid a potential devastating injury.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson told reporters postgame that Kirby would get X-rays to be sure that he avoided the worst and even expressed optimism that Kirby could make his next start.
“I didn’t even see it coming, just put my hand up,” Kirby said, per MLB.com. “I’m just glad it kind of missed any of the bad spots on my face.”
Kirby had struggled through three starts, but Tuesday marked one of his best showings this season.
The righty allowed two runs over five innings while striking out three batters.
His night ended on said play when the ball caromed off his his face toward first baseman Rowdy Tellez to end the top of the inning with a 2-1 deficit.
He currently lines up to face the Angels on Sunday, but Kirby could have that pushed back as he breathes a sigh of relief that this situation wasn’t much worse.
After Tuesday’s loss, the Mariners are 32-27 and a half-game behind the division-leading Astros.