Polanco's big game 2 great signs in 1 for Seattle Mariners

Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh needed a little more help than they got from the rest of the Seattle Mariners’ offense in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.

And that’s what they got in Game 2 – a little more help – thanks to Jorge Polanco.

Mariners’ key bats deliver in 3-2 win over Tigers in Game 2

Once again, the re-signing of Polanco that caught many a Mariner fan by surprise in January is looking pretty good right about now.

Polanco had the playoff game of his life Sunday, going 3 for 4 with a pair of solo home runs in Seattle’s 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers that evened the best-of-five ALDS at 1-1.

And those two home runs were pretty impressive considering who they came against: perhaps the best pitcher in baseball, Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.

The favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award for a second time, Skubal didn’t have any trouble with most of Seattle’s lineup, with the Seattle U product going seven innings with nine strikeouts. No one would have scored against him if not for Polanco. And the M’s would have had just three hits against Skubal if not for their second baseman.

Where would the Mariners be without Polanco?

They’d be looking at a 2-0 deficit in the ALDS. Or more realistically, if the M’s hadn’t turned back to him in free agency last winter, they probably wouldn’t be in the ALDS in the first place.

“All year long he’s been having great at-bats, coming clutch in so many situations,” Rodríguez said of Polanco after Sunday’s game. “And today to hit two homers against the best pitcher in the game right now, it’s awesome. There’s not enough words to describe what he means to the team and everything that he has done this year.

“All I can say is I’m really happy that he’s our teammate and he’s playing for us because he can do what he did tonight for us, and it’s pretty unbelievable.”

Mariners Instant Reaction: MLB insider Jon Morosi on Game 2 win

Polanco’s first year in Seattle was a disappointment, at least partially due to a nagging knee injury that was not disclosed until after his 2024 campaign. But essentially a year to the date after the Mariners made a big offseason trade to get him from the Minnesota Twins, they re-signed him in a move that created plenty of head scratching.

With a much healthier knee, though, Polanco took off at the plate. He was one of the best hitters in the game in April. And then he was one of the best hitters again in September. He finished the regular season with a .265/.326/.495 slash line for an .821 OPS with 26 homers, 30 doubles and 78 RBIs, and his hot streaks came during Seattle’s two best stretches of the year.

So when the Mariners needed another bat to step up after Rodríguez and Raleigh provided all six of Seattle’s hits in their Game 1 loss to Detroit on Saturday, it made all the sense in the world that it was Polanco who answered the call.

Polanco got the M’s going Sunday with his homers, and when a third run was needed after Detroit tied things up 2-2 in the eighth inning, that’s where Raleigh and Rodríguez did their thing with back-to-back doubles to score the winning run.

What transpired in Game 2 is a great sign for the Mariners. A couple, actually.

First, it’s an assurance that the run Polanco was on at the end of the regular season has continued into the fall.

Second, and more important, is what it says about where Seattle is as a team right now.

The pitching has done all the M’s could ask of it thus far in the ALDS, allowing just five runs (four earned) over 20 innings. And their two biggest stars have shown up in a big way.

If that continues to be the case, all they need is just a little more help.

Polanco was the first to be that on Sunday night. And there’s plenty of other candidates in Seattle’s deep lineup to fit the bill with the series heading to Detroit for the next two games.

Polanco’s big game 2 great signs in 1 for Seattle Mariners

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