Polanco a hero again in Seattle Mariners' ALCS Game 1 win

When the Seattle Mariners re-signed Jorge Polanco in February, it was a move that was met with mostly negative reception.

Polanco was coming off the worst season of his career, and his only in a Mariners uniform. To top it off, the plan was to move him from second base to the hot corner where there was no clear option for an opening-day starter.

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It seemed like more of a last-minute move out of desperation rather than one a championship-contending team would make.

Fast forward eight months: The Mariners are championship contenders, and Polanco is at the center of it all.

Polanco continued to build his legacy as a Mariners postseason legend in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday night in Toronto, delivering the winning hit for the second straight game and adding another clutch RBI knock to help Seattle steal the series opener 3-1 against the Blue Jays.

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After Cal Raleigh homered and Julio

Two innings later with runners on first and third and one out, Polanco turned around to left side of the plate and snuck a well-placed groundball just out of the reach of Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement to go up 3-1.

Polanco’s heroics in Game 1 came after he delivered one of the biggest hits in Mariners history during Game 5 of the AL Division Series, a walkoff single in the 15th inning to send Seattle to its first ALCS in 24 years. He was also one of the heroes in Game 2 of the ALDS, hitting two solo homers off AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal in a 3-2 win.

Of Polanco’s six hits in the postseason, five have driven in runs.

“All of his at-bats, he’s coming up in situations where he’s got a chance to do some damage, and not trying to do too much, and has put together just some huge, huge RBIs for us,” manager Dan Wilson said.

It’s been a winding road for Polanco to get to the spot he’s in now with Seattle.

The Mariners traded four players to acquire him from the Twins in January 2024. He was added to be the everyday second baseman and a middle-of-the-order bat, debuting in the three hole in Seattle’s season opener. But he struggled his way to a .213 average and .651 OPS (both career lows) and struck out a career-high 137 times during a disappointing campaign.

After last season, Polanco had surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee. He played through the issue throughout the year, which contributed to his struggles.

Even with a clean bill of health, the Mariners were taking a risk by bringing back a 31 year old with a lengthy injury history like Polanco, and he was taking a gamble by trying to bounce back while playing half of his games at the hardest ballpark to hit in in the major leagues.

Polanco showed signs he and the Mariners made the right decision in April. Despite dealing with an oblique issue that kept him from hitting from the right side of the plate and ending the third-base experiment after just five games, he had a scorching month with a .384 batting average, 1.226 OPS and as many home runs (nine) as strikeouts.

Polanco’s numbers cratered in May and June, putting doubt into his start. But he started heating back up and put together strong months in July and August. In September, he was the Mariners’ hottest hitter, batting .329 with a 1.015 OPS with 13 doubles and four homers.

And it’s carried over into October.

“He’s been unbelievable. He’s been kind of the heart and soul over this last month,” catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Really happy for him that he’s healthy and he’s playing every day … he’s been huge from both sides of the plate.”

Polanco a hero again in Seattle Mariners’ ALCS Game 1 win

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