SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle right-hander George Kirby set a major league record by throwing 24 straight strikes to start the game and fellow Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez reached a new level, but Ildemaro Vargas hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning that lifted the Washington Nationals to a 3-1 win. Kirby gave up five hits and one run before throwing his first ball to Joey Meneses in the third. Kirby topped the mark of 21 consecutive strikes to open by Joe Musgrove for Pittsburgh in 2018. Rodriguez hit his 20th home run, tying it at 1 in the eighth. The 21-year-old sensation became the fourth rookie in big league history with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season.
Kirby starts with record 24 straight strikes; Nats top M’s
