The Rangers crushed George Kirby’s dominance. Literally crushed it. 

George Kirby had owned the Rangers over his career. In 12 career starts against the Rangers, he’d allowed just 11 earned runs. That’s in 74.1 innings pitched. And in all that time, the Rangers were able to muster only four home runs off him.

All that changed after one batter yesterday.

Joc Pederson led off with a home run, then hit another one off him in the second, a three-run shot no less. Ezequiel Duran took him deep in the third with a solo shot, and Jake Burger finished him off with a two-run blast in the third.

When it was over, or better yet, when Kirby was over, he’d given up seven runs in four innings. Seven in four as opposed to the 11 in 74 the Rangers got off of him before that.

Texas took three of four from Seattle and send them back home reeling. It was the biggest series of the year for the Rangers and the stood up and played their best baseball. They dismantled the acclaimed Mariners starters 5-4 on Friday, 7-1 on Saturday, then 7-3 on Monday, knocking the Mariners into third place. Good thing for the Mariners, they have the Athletics and Angels in their division, so third is as low as they can go. 

But the Rangers stepped up and stepped all over the Mariners and a pitcher who had totally dominated them in the past. That was fun to watch.

*****