ELON, N.C. — For the first time in 21 years, the Seattle Mariners will take the field for an MLB playoff game Friday, when they face the Toronto Blue Jays in the first game of a best-of-three Wild Card Series.

That the Mariners find themselves in this position isn't too surprising given how well the club played late last year and the additions that it made in the offseason. But sitting at 12-16 one month into the season, it looked like Seattle could fall short of expectations.

Then entered George Kirby.

Drafted out of Elon in the first round of the 2019 Draft, Kirby made his Major League debut on May 8 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Unfazed by the moment, the right-hander struck out seven and walked zero over six shutout innings, and from there, there was no looking back — both for Kirby and Seattle.

Kirby went on to make 25 regular-season starts for the Mariners, posting a 3.39 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 133:22 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 130 innings. His WAR (wins above replacement) of 3.0 was the highest among American League rookie pitchers, per the advanced statistics website Fangraphs. And although he isn't the sole reason for Seattle's success, the club is 78-56 since his arrival, including 15-6 in his last 21 starts.

As impressive as Kirby's year has been, he's not the only former Phoenix baseball player who enjoyed a memorable season. Here's a look at how six others performed.

Ty Adcock, RHP, Mariners organization

Like Kirby, Adcock was drafted by the Mariners in 2019. Entering this season, though, he had yet to pitch in a professional game due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic and undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2021.

That finally changed on Aug. 16, when Adcock took the mound for his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Mariners. As if that wasn't significant enough, the righty struck out the side in his only inning of work.

Adcock made one more appearance in rookie ball before receiving a promotion to Low-A Modesto, where he pitched a scoreless inning in four of his six outings. He's since joined the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League, with whom he's tossed one scoreless inning in his only appearance.

John Brebbia, RHP, San Francisco Giants

Coming off a 2021 campaign in which he spent most of the year working his way back from Tommy John surgery, questions surrounded what Brebbia's role might look like in the Giants' bullpen. The righty, however, used a much more normal offseason to work on his mechanics. The result: a career year.

Brebbia finished the season with a 3.14 ERA in 66 innings over 74 appearances — the most among National League pitchers and the most ever by a former Phoenix player. His 18 holds not only led San Francisco but were a career high, as were his six wins.

Ryan Conroy, RHP, Baltimore Orioles organization

Conroy became the first of two former Elon standouts to reach Triple-A for the first time this season when the Orioles assigned him to the Norfolk Tides on April 8. The right-hander made just one appearance before being assigned to Double-A Bowie, but it didn't take long for him to rejoin the Tides, earning another promotion on May 27.

Conroy was sensational in his return to Norfolk, logging a 0.57 ERA in 15 2/3 innings over his first 11 games. And although he slowed down a bit down the stretch, that success should serve him well as he inches closer to the Majors.

Cam Devanney, INF, Milwaukee Brewers organization

Devanney struggled in his first go-around with Double-A Biloxi in 2021, but the infielder rebounded in a big way this year, slashing .259/.340/.483 with 20 home runs, 28 doubles and 57 RBIs in 115 games with the Shuckers.

For his efforts, Devanney earned a callup to Triple-A Nashville on Sept. 6. And although he played in just 14 games with the Sounds — including the International League championship game — he made the most of them, reaching base in 12 while hitting .294/.345/.549 with three homers and 11 RBIs.

Alex Iadisernia, OF, St. Louis Cardinals organization

Selected by the Cardinals in the seventh round of this year's Draft, Iadisernia made his professional debut with Low-A Palm Beach on July 30. He notched his first hit a day later and went on to bat .275/.351/.333 over 21 games.

Jared Wetherbee, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies organization

Wetherbee struggled in his first two outings with Low-A Clearwater, then missed close to two months due to injury. But upon returning to the Threshers, the lefty settled in and ultimately posted a 2.86 ERA in 22 innings over his final 17 games. Opponents hit .200 against him in that span.