Roger Clemens Calls Out Mariners' George Kirby: Comments 'Would Not Fly' In Old Days

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby was called out Saturday by one of the all-time greats for comments he made following a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

With Seattle leading 4-2, Kirby went out for the seventh inning despite having already thrown 90 pitches. The decision backfired, as he allowed a game-tying, two-run home run to René Pinto.

While speaking to the media afterward, Kirby said, "I wish I wasn't out there for the seventh to be honest."

The All-Star hurler went on to add: "I was at 90 pitches, and I didn't think I really could go any more. But it is what it is."

Roger Clemens, who went 354-184 with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts in 24 career MLB seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros, took issue with Kirby's perspective.

The Rocket posted about Kirby's comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, and noted that they "would not fly" during his era:

Clemens pitched from 1984 to 2007, and for much of his career, pitch counts were not heavily scrutinized and starting pitchers were encouraged to pitch deep into games.

Now, teams typically try to cap their pitchers at 100 pitches per start in order to preserve their health and the significant financial investments they have made in the players.

Clemens blamed "modern analytics" for the shift and philosophy, as bullpens have become far more important in today's game than they were in past generations.

Per ESPN, Kirby expressed regret over his comments and how they reflected on manager Scott Servais on Saturday, saying: "Obviously I screwed up. That's not me. Skip's always got to pry that ball out of my hands. Just super uncharacteristic of me as a player and who I am out on that mound. I love competing. Like I said, I just screwed up."

Despite Friday's hiccup, Kirby has been a huge part of Seattle's success this season, going 10-9 with a 3.48 ERA and 151 strikeouts over 165.2 innings in just his second MLB season.

The Mariners have shaken off a slow start to post a 79-62 record. That put them a half-game behind the Astros for the American League West lead entering play Saturday, and in the AL's second wild-card spot.

Seattle will look to overtake Houston in the AL West on Saturday when it faces the Rays in another road tilt.