It had been more than four years since Tarik Skubal surrendered two home runs in a game to one player.
Yet, Jorge Polanco changed all that Sunday.
The veteran Seattle Mariners infielder shook off a hitless Game 1 by slugging a pair of solo homers off the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner in their 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.
Skubal’s single-game season high for home runs against in a start was two. He last surrendered a multi-home run game to Paul Goldschmidt, then of the St. Louis Cardinals, all the way back on Aug. 25, 2021 — a span of 104 starts.
Yet, the likely 2025 AL Cy Young winner left after throwing seven innings in Game 2 with Seattle ahead 2-0 — he ended up getting a no-decision after Detroit tied it in the eighth inning.
But the Mariners evened the best-of-5 series — and issued Detroit its first loss in a Skubal start this postseason — with an eighth-inning rally against the Tigers pen.
Jorge Polanco Is An Unlikely Hero For The Mariners
Polanco may have batted in the No. 4 hole between franchise center fielder Julio Rodriguez and 49-homer infielder Eugenio Suarez in Game 2. But he is overlooked by outsiders amid the Mariners roster of superstars like likely Rodriguez and Suarez, plus likely AL MVP finalist Cal Raleigh and outfielder Randy Arozarena.
But Rodriguez understands why the veteran belongs in his lineup spot.
“He’s such a good baseball player,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a grinder. All year long he’s been having good at-bats and come in clutch in so many situations.”
Polanco did hit 26 home runs during the regular season and launched the second for Seattle of the 2025 postseason on a 2-0, hanging slider in the fourth inning that broke the ice and gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead.
Two innings later, seeking insurance, Polanco beat Skubal on a 3-2, inside fastball that he smoked 369 feet into the left-field stands that made it 2-0.
Just two great at-bats there to give us a little bit of a lead,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Outstanding ball game for him.”
“To hit two homers against the best pitcher in the game right now, it’s awesome,” Rodriguez said.
Jorge Polanco Gave The Mariners A Lift and Made History
The Mariners won their first postseason home game in 24 years — Rodriguez was an infant of just nine months old when the Mariners claimed Game 5 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park on Oct. 15, 2001.
Yet, you’d have to go back even six years further to find the last time a Mariners player hit two home runs in a postseason game — when Jay Buhner blasted two also against Cleveland in Game 3 of the ALCS on Oct. 13, 1995, almost 30 years ago, which Wilson started as catcher.
But Polanco had three of Seattle’s eight hits Sunday after moving from the No. 5 to the cleanup spot — with first baseman Josh Naylor dropping to fourth after only Raleigh and Rodriguez could record hits against Tigers pitching in Game 1 on Saturday.
That Polanco, who spent the past two seasons with Polanco since he was traded to Seattle from the Minnesota Twins, provided a lift is not news to Rodriguez though.
“There’s not enough words to describe what he means to the team and everything that he’s gone through this year,” Rodriguez said. “I’m really happy that he’s our teammate and he’s playing for because he can do what he did for us tonight, and it’s pretty unbelievable.”
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