If Rye baseball coach Mike Bruno ever wants to remind his team hard work pays off, he doesn’t have to look far for an example. It wasn’t long ago that George Kirby, now a star pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, was in their shoes.
The 2016 Rye baseball alumnus was a three-time all-state selection before going on to excel in college and the minor leagues. Since making his MLB debut in 2022, he’s established himself as one of the game’s best pitchers, signing a deal with Nike and a one-year, $4.3 million contract to avoid arbitration with the Mariners in January. Now, he’s paying it forward by giving the current generation of Garnets shoes of their own.
“Two years ago now, I signed a new contract for Nike. I wanted to have a merchandise account that allowed me to give back,” Kirby said. “I had the idea in my head for a while, and it was the perfect opportunity. So, I reached out to Bruno and said, ‘I’d like to give you guys some gear for the season,’ and we went from there.”
Before the spring season started, Bruno surprised the team with new Nike cleats — both metal and turfs — and Nike baseball bags, all courtesy of Kirby’s generous donation.
“He wanted to try and help the program out,” Bruno said. “He’s been out of it going on 10 years, but he’s always been a real supporter of the Rye baseball program and wanted to do something nice for the team.”
The players were moved by the generosity of a Garnet great they’ve watched rise up the professional ranks.
“His donation means a lot to this ball club,” said senior captain Vincent Sculti. “It’s inspiring to see a guy from your hometown make it big, seeing everything he’s accomplished at Rye and beyond. He’s a player we all strive to be like as a Garnet. It’s something we won’t take for granted.”
In 89 major-league starts for Seattle, Kirby has racked up 35 wins and 484 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.43. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting, and in 2023, his second year in the big leagues, he was named an MLB All-Star and finished eighth in AL Cy Young voting.
Another senior captain, Charlie Rupp, said he and the current Garnets are appreciative both of Kirby’s donation and what he’s accomplished since graduating from Rye.
“Kirby’s donation to the team was beyond generous and unlike anything we’ve received before. We’re all extremely grateful,” Rupp said. “Seeing him not only make it to the big leagues, but become an all-star and a rising star really puts it into perspective and gives everyone the confidence and motivation to just go out there and be the best they can. A kid from our small town is now out there, killing it at the highest level, which is so cool for the next generation of athletes from our town.”
Kirby started on the mound for Rye’s varsity baseball team all four years (2012-16) and didn’t lose a game post-freshman year under Bruno, going 23-0. Hence, it’s no surprise that he was also named to the All-Metro, All-League, and All-State teams three times.
Originally selected by the New York Mets in the 32nd round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Kirby decided to spend three seasons at Elon University before going pro, where he was named Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Pitcher of the Year in 2019 with a 2.75 ERA, and nation-leading strikeout-to-walk ratio (17.83) and walks allowed per nine innings (0.61).
Kirby was drafted 20th overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 2019 MLB Draft, making him the highest-drafted player in Elon University history. The Rye native made his pro debut three years later on May 8, 2022, against the Tampa Bay Rays and delivered big with no walks, six shutout innings and seven strikeouts. Making waves in Seattle from the jump, Kirby became the first pitcher in Mariners franchise history to throw six-plus scoreless innings in his MLB debut.
“Everything he has, he deserves. He’s always been a hard worker and a really fierce competitor,” Bruno said. “It’s great to see somebody that came through Rye as a tremendous athlete succeed, and he’s a great person overall.”
When Kirby returned to pitch in New York for the first time as a Mariner, the Rye community came out in droves to support one of their own.
“My first start in 2022 back in New York when I played the Mets, there were probably 1,000 people there from Rye – that was pretty cool to see,” Kirby said. “Even if I’m playing a game in Baltimore or somewhere close by, I feel like I always see someone I know. It’s cool that everyone is following my career, and it does mean a lot.”
From the baseball program to the city as a whole, Rye’s support toward Kirby is unwavering, and he doesn’t take it for granted.
“Whether it’s guys back in Rye or some of the guys in the minor leagues right now, however I can help them mentally or physically with their game, it’s always a good opportunity to pass it down in the hopes that those guys will do the same when they get in my position,” Kirby said.
