Kirby to face Seattle U alum in duel of Cy Young contenders

With a standout third season in the majors, Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby has put himself in the conversation for the American League Cy Young Award.

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Kirby currently ranks fourth in MLB.com’s AL Cy Young poll, which consists of votes from MLB.com experts. The pitcher at No. 1 in that poll? That just so happens to be Detroit Tigers ace and former Seattle University standout Tarik Skubal, who Kirby will face in his next start.

Kirby and Skubal will square off Wednesday night at T-Mobile Park in a duel between two of the game’s top pitchers.

“He’s one of the best young pitchers in the game right now,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said prior to Tuesday’s series opener between Seattle and Detroit.

Kirby has 3.04 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 136 innings this season, with 131 strikeouts and just 15 walks. The 26-year-old ranks sixth in the AL in ERA and fifth in WHIP. He has been dominant over the past two months, posting a 2.00 ERA in 11 starts since June 1.

Skubal, a first-time All-Star, has a 2.57 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 162 strikeouts and 26 walks in 136 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old left-hander leads the majors in ERA, ranks second in WHIP and is tied for third in strikeouts.

For Skubal, it marks a return to the city where he had a record-setting college career. The Kingman, Ariz., native pitched three seasons for Seattle U in 2015, 2016 and 2018 (he missed 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery). He posted a school-record 2.11 ERA in 2016 and ranks second in school history with 224 career strikeouts.

Skubal was then drafted by Detroit as a ninth-round pick in 2018, making him the highest-drafted player in Seattle U history.

Skubal made his MLB debut in August 2020, then became a full-time starter for the Tigers in 2021. His 2022 campaign was cut short by season-ending surgery on the flexor tendon in his pitching arm, which kept him sidelined for the first half of 2023. But ever since returning from injury on July 4, 2023, he leads the majors with a 2.66 ERA.

Skubal has only faced the Mariners once before. In his lone start against them, he allowed two runs in five innings on May 19, 2021, in Seattle.

Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert also is in the Cy Young mix, ranking fifth in MLB.com’s AL Cy Young poll. The 27-year-old first-time All-Star ranks seventh in the AL with a 3.05 ERA and has an MLB-best 0.89 WHIP in 147 2/3 winnings, with 143 strikeouts and 26 walks.

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