The Mariners are hosting the South Side Sox in Peoria Sports Complex this afternoon, and giving George Kirby his first innings of work of 2026. Following yesterday’s 0-3 loss, the Mariners are sending out a suspiciously Major League-shaped lineup, with Michael Arroyo and Colt Emerson serving as the obligatory “guys who are just happy to be here.”
On the other side of things, the White Sox are sending Anthony Kay to the mound. Kay is a journeyman pitcher who spent two years across the Pacific in NPB. It’s his first start of the Spring as the former first round pick hopes to break his way back into stateside baseball.
Backing George up for the Mariners are Michael Morales, Michael Rucker, Troy Taylor, Blas Castaño, Alex Hoppe, and Nick Davila. For those keeping score at home that means three (3) Michaels are likely to appear for the Mariners. I wonder what the record is.
Today’s game is one of the blessedly televised games over on the new Mariners TV service with good ol’ Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. on the call. I’m still not over the fact that baseball is back. It’s been a long winter without hearing those two’s dulcet tones.
First Pitch: 12:10 pm PT
Watch: Mariners.TV or on Mariners.com
Listen: Seattle Sports 710AM (sadly delayed until 7 pm PT, with live listen available via Gameday. Though I suppose you could watch the game now at work — I won’t tell — and then go home and listen with your family, impressing them with your incredible predictions. A kind of low-stakes Back to the Future Part Two.)
As a reminder, we’re hoping to build our community before Opening Day for what promises to be an exciting 2026 season and we’d love to have you with us. If you haven’t yet, sign up (it makes the site function much better for you, as a bonus) and jump on in to the conversation! This is especially helpful on radio-only games to keep the conversation flowing. And don’t worry about making a mistake – it’s spring training for all of us.