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# Randy Arozarena A-Bombs, George Kirby’s Quality Start Power Mariners to 6-2 Victory Over Royals
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-mariners-randy-arozarena-home-run-kansas-city-royals/
- Published: 2025-07-01T09:17:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:19:37.000Z
- Author: Callaghan Bluechel
- Tags: Analysis, Mariners, Randy Arozarena, George Kirby, Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford, Gabe Speier, Trent Thornton, Matt Brash, Cole Young

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500"\]

![  Randy Arozarena lifts the Mariners trident after the conclusion of Seattle’s 6-2 win on June 30, 2025. Credit: John Froschauer/AP Photo.  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/mariners-6-30-format-original-2.png)

Randy Arozarena lifts the Mariners trident after the conclusion of Seattle’s 6-2 win on June 30, 2025\. Credit: John Froschauer/AP Photo. \[/caption\]

SEATTLE, Wash. - Any time the Kansas City Royals have played the Seattle Mariners in the past few years, it’s a battle of two very different styles of offense. The Royals are an old-school, hit-it-where-they-ain’t, manufacturing runs team, while the Mariners often live and die by the home run ball.

There’s also another bit of recent history between these two sides: that of Mariners collapses. The Mariners blew an 11-2 lead against the Royals in 2022 and an 8-0 lead against them in 2024.

It all went the Mariners’ way on Monday night, however. The home run ball beat small ball, there was no scary Royals comeback, and Seattle cruised to a 6-2 victory. 

The two big stories from the series opener at T-Mobile Park were Randy Arozarena’s two home runs and George Kirby’s 6-inning, one-run gem. Arozarena was the first player on the Mariners to tee off Michael Wacha, with both his homers coming off the veteran right-hander in his second and third at-bats. Meanwhile, Kirby pitched beautifully, with perfect innings in all but one frame. Cal Raleigh added to his monster season, mashing his 33rd home run and getting two RBIs. And Cole Young had a three-hit game, bringing the rookie’s average up to .259.

### Early Duel Between Wacha and Kirby

For the first four and a half innings, Kirby and Wacha traded good showings. Wacha sat at around 93 MPH on his fastballs, but was getting good movement and placing them well. He mixed it up with some incredible changeups that badly fooled Seattle’s batters, and so the first four innings saw little action on Seattle’s side. There was one crack that showed in Wacha’s game: Arozarena’s homer in the fourth.

The top of the first went by quickly. Jonathan India grounded out to short while Kirby got Bobby Witt Jr. to whiff aimlessly at a 1-2 slider for the first strikeout of the game. Kirby went down 2-0 to Maikel Garcia, but worked back in the count with two swinging strikes. Garcia fouled off the next two but harmlessly grounded out to third to send it to the bottom of the first.

The bottom of the first began with promise, as JP Crawford led off the bottom of the first with an inside-out line drive to shallow left on Michael Wacha’s 0-1 fastball. But Julio Rodriguez grounded it to third on a 1-1 slider and Kansas City turned the 5-4-3 double play. Cal Raleigh had a long at-bat, working the count to 3-1 before taking a middle-middle slider and fouling off Wacha’s next three. In the end, Raleigh sent a can of corn to center on a low fastball and the first inning ended scoreless.

Kirby easily bested the next three Royals, getting both Vinnue Pasquantino and Salvador Perez out on infield pop-ups before Jac Caglianone grounded out to first. Randy Arozarena opened the bottom of the second with a soft lineout to second and Dominic Canzone followed with a soft popup to right. Once again, the third batter of the Mariner’s inning make Wacha work, as Donovan Solano fouled off four pitches on a 1-2 count, took a ball, then fouled off one more, then worked it full, then fouled off another, and finally took a low fastball for the two-out walk. But Mitch Garver harmlessly popped out to Perez and the second inning ended the same as the first.

Kirby struck out Waters and caught a weak liner from John Rave, but after that, the Royals pounced. Kyle Isbel got the Royals’ first hit with an 0-1 slap between Mastrobuoni and Crawford and then Jonathan India sent a shot into center, both hits off fastballs that got too much of the plate to put runners on first and second with two outs. Kirby got Witt to whiff on a 1-1 slider off the plate away and his next pitch was another slider off the plate, but a bit closer, and Witt slapped a soft liner up the middle that bounced off Cole Young’s glove and into center field. Garcia harmlessly grounded out to second, but the Royals had a 1-0 lead.

Mastrobuoni lofted a fly ball to center for an easy first out of the bottom of the third and Cole Young lined one off the inside of the bat to Rave in right for a quick two outs. Crawford struck out on a changeup in the dirt to quickly end the inning.

In the top of the fourth, Young seemed to get a late break on a Pasquantino grounder between him and Solano but managed to snare it on a dive and get the first out. Perez flied out to left for the second out. Kirby threw three straight balls to Caglianone but sent in two strikes for the full count and the Royals’ designated hitter sent a slider right to Young for out number three.

Julio led off the bottom of the fourth with a soft grounder to India on an 0-1 count and Cal did the exact same thing the next at-bat. It looked as if it would be another dead inning.

But Wacha hung the next delivery, a first-pitch hanging changeup to Arozarena, who crushed a fly ball to right center. Both Isbel and Rave jogged over to the gap but all they could do was watch it fly a couple feet over the yellow line for a game-tying home run.

Then the Mariners got a few more runners on. Canzone reached on a grounder to short that took a high bounce off Witt’s glove and then Solano singled to right, inducing a meeting on the mound for all of the Royals’ infielders. Mitch Garver worked a five-pitch walk to load the bases. Mastrobuoni took ball one an inch inside and ball two an inch outside, but sent Wacha’s middle-middle fastball right to Witt. Ultimately, the M’s couldn’t get it done with bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth.

Drew Waters flied out on an 0-1 fastball at the top of the zone to start the fifth. Kirby then fanned Rave on a beautiful 2-2 fastball an inch inside off the plate. Isbel ended the half inning with a soft fly ball to his center field counterpart. 

### Big Fifth Inning Sets Tone For Rest of Game

Midway through the fifth frame, the game turned around for Seattle. Wacha’s fastball started to flatten while he battled against the Mariner lineup for the third time. As it often is, the third time through the lineup was when the batters caught up with the pitcher, and by the end of the fifth, Seattle was up 5-1\. The Mariners would ride the lead out for the rest of the game and win 6-2.

Young opened the bottom of the fifth with a solid at-bat, taking two balls and then lining a cutter into right field for a single – Seattle's first leadoff baserunner all night. Crawford hit a seeing-eye grounder into the hole off Witt’s glove for another single and Rodriguez loaded the bases with an inside-out swing that sent a first pitch inside fastball to right. 

“MVP” chants could be heard as Raleigh came up to bat. Opening the at bat 3-1 with the bases loaded and no outs, he fouled back a fastball to the screen. The next pitch was a changeup on the outside of the plate. Raleigh was a little off on the swing and flied it to right well shy of the warning track, but it was deep enough to get Young home and send Julio to third. 2-1.

Arozarena came up next, runners on the corners and one out. He worked a 2-2 count and then Wacha fired a fastball to the top of the zone. A sound like a firecracker could be heard as Arozarena’s bat unloaded into the ball, which soared high to center field and cleared the wall by a good 10 feet, breaking the game open and giving Seattle a 5-1 lead.

Canzone grounded out to Wacha and Garcia got a good jump on Solano’s soft grounder to get him out at first, but the Mariners now had a commanding lead in the game. Kirby was at just 72 pitches going into the sixth and had been lights-out in all but one inning so far.

Kirby dominated the top of the sixth. India flied out to right to start the inning, and then Kirby twisted Witt into a knot on a 1-2 curve off the plate before getting Garcia to take a weak wave at a 1-2 fastball outside.

Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro replaced Wacha coming into the bottom of the sixth with left-hander Daniel Lynch IV, who began the bottom of the inning by striking out Garver on a 2-2 changeup in the dirt. Mastrobuoni walked on five pitches and then Young grounded a single through the right side hole off a 2-1 outside corner changeup and Mastrobuoni went to third.

But the M’s didn’t capitalize. Crawford hit a fly to left, but it was not deep enough for Mastrobuoni to tag up. Then Rodriguez lined out to center to end the inning.

Dan Wilson took out Kirby for the top of the seventh and brought on Gabe Speier. The reliever struck out the side, making easy work of Vinnie Pasquantino, before whiffing Perez on a slider in the dirt and getting Caglianone on a high fastball.

Raleigh led off the bottom of the seventh, taking two balls to open the at bat. The third was a middle fastball that he took a mighty hack at, but missed. The next one was a curve that didn’t break downwards as it was supposed to, and Raleigh reached across the plate and crushed the hanger to deep center. Isbel waited at the wall and jumped up, but it was a few feet too far for his glove. Homer 33 for Raleigh gave 6-1 Mariners lead. The “MVP” chants rang throughout T-Mobile Park.

Arozarena grounded out to short, followed by a Canzone ground ball through the hole for a single. But he was stranded there, as Solano popped out to first and Garver grounded into a fielder’s choice at short to end the inning.

Trent Thornton came on for the eighth. Waters flied out to left to start the inning, but Rave beat out a single on a grounder to short. Thornton went up 0-2 on Isbel, but his next four pitches were balls and the Royals had runners on first and second with one away. Matt Brash started warming up in case things got ugly – everyone in the stadium was taking heed of the Royals’ comeback tendencies against Seattle. 

Thornton’s sinker flew well inside and hit India on a 2-1 count, so now the bases were loaded. Pete Woodworth came out for a meeting on the mound as Bobby Witt Jr. stepped into the batter’s box.

The first pitch to Witt was a ball up out of the zone, but Witt put the next one in play with a soft grounder to short. Crawford tossed it to Young for one, but the Royals’ shortstop legged out Young’s throw to first by a half step and so Rave scored. But Thornton buckled down and got Garcia to hit a soft ground ball to second to end the half inning.

Lynch IV was out after two innings for Kansas City and in was right-hander Lucas Erceg. Mastrobuoni grounded out to short, but Young notched his third single of the game, this time a slap hit through the left side. Crawford worked it full while Young strolled to second on a wild pitch, and the M’s had another opportunity. Crawford hit a pop fly to the left triangle on the next delivery, but Waters rushed in and made the catch. Rodriguez whiffed on a slider in the dirt to end the inning.

Brash came in for the top of the ninth, starting off by striking out Pasquantino on three pitches. He fell behind Perez 3-1 and threw him a fastball down the pipe, but the Royals catcher didn’t make good contact, harmlessly grounding out to third. Caglianone hit a soft fly ball to center field to secure the 6-2 win

### Kirby Weaves Through Royals, Second Straight Quality Start

Kirby had his third quality start of the season, looking like a continuation of his form last week against the Twins. He worked six innings and threw 85 pitches, only giving up hits during the third, though they were three singles in a row that ended up scoring a run for Kansas City, one of just two for the visiting side.

Kirby’s fastball sat at around 95-96 the entire game. Crucially, the Mariners starter was locating extremely well for most of the night, getting swings and misses or weak contact on high or inside fastballs and mixing that with sliders and curveballs away. His running cutter showed up a few times, also with good location.

The only weak spot for Kirby was the third inning. He hung some fastballs in that frame that Isbel and India knocked into the outfield grass to set up Witt’s RBI single. Now, Kirby’s offering to Witt wasn’t terrible – it was a slider an inch outside and knee-high – but Witt is a good contact hitter who didn’t try to do too much with it. 

Kirby notched his second win on the season, bringing him up to a 2-4 record on the year. His six innings of one-run ball lowered his ERA down to 4.85 for the season, which is an improvement from a rough first few starts but still higher than his 2022-2024 average ERA of 3.42.

A return to form for Kirby would be a big boost for the Mariners down the stretch.

### Randy Cracks Two Bombs

Arozarena had one of his best games this season, going 2-4 with a pair of bombs and four RBIs. It’s almost always a game-changer when a player does that, and tonight was no exception. He was also the first to take advantage of a Wacha mistake – that down-the-pipe changeup portending the visiting pitcher’s collapse in the fifth inning. 

That first home run was also Arozarena’s 100th during his seven-year career. It was a milestone that brought pride to the Mariner left fielder.

“As soon as I hit it, it kind of gave me memories of hitting my very first one in my debut,” Arozarena said. “It’s kind of an embodiment of the work I’ve done.”

But in tonight’s game, it was the second one that put the Mariners in the driver’s seat. It was a beautiful sight: Arozarena’s eyes lit up as he saw a fastball letter-high and right in the middle of the plate, and he hit it with a boom that let everyone in the stadium know it was leaving the ballpark. 

Both home runs went out almost the same direction to deep right center field, the part of T-Mobile park where balls are prone to die. Dan Wilson chalked up much of his success – especially on that first home run, where he stayed back on a changeup and drilled it – to some more patience on Arozarena’s part.

“He’s been a little bit more patient, and he’s been able to use the opposite field. He’s drawn some walks in some tight situations and we’ve seen him be able to stay on the breaking ball a little bit longer,” Wilson said. “When you talk about hitters, they’re at their best when they’re using the whole field, and Randy is certainly doing that right now.”

### Looking Forward

The M’s have six more games on this homestand, including three more in their four-game set against the Royals. Emerson Hancock will take the mound for Seattle to square off against Michael Lorenzen on Tuesday as Wilson’s team looks to secure at least a series split.