Will Seattle Mariners righthander George Kirby unleash his knuckleball this season?

According to a Boston Globe report, Kirby didn’t completely dismiss the idea when asked if he’d ever throw the rare and difficult pitch in a game again.

“There could be a time and a place for it,” Kirby said. “It’s not easy to throw. It takes a lot of reps. But I can throw it.”

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby throws against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)AP

Growing up, Kirby, a Yankees fan, was in awe of Red Sox great Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball and remembers watching him play at Yankee Stadium. On the day Wakefield died last October, Kirby honored him by throwing a knuckleball against the Texas Rangers in the Mariners’ season finale.

“I just thought it was a good opportunity to honor him,” Kirby said. “I hadn’t thrown a knuckleball all year and figured it was the last game.”

Here’s what Mariners manager Scott Servais had to say about Kirby’s skillset in his postgame interview from last season via MLB.com:

“It’s a really good pitch and it’s one he may work in his repertoire,” Servais said coyly, indicating that it probably won’t be a regular occurrence. “No, George is George. He is gifted. He can do a lot of different things. … He also has an extremely devastating knuckleball. And it didn’t surprise me that he threw it. The fact that he threw it to Corey Seager did surprise me a little bit.”

Kirby is in his third MLB season and earned his first All-Star selection last year. The Mariners travel to Yankee Stadium for a four-game series starting Monday, May 20.