SEATTLE — Shortly after Jorge Polancoâ€s second home run of the game off reigning AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal, a chant broke out from a smattering of Mariners fans at T-Mobile Park.
It was resemblant of the familiar soccer chant, “Olé, Olé, Olé″, except the Seattle supporters were repeating Polancoâ€s first name after he put the Mariners up 2-0 en route to a 3-2 win against the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of their AL Division Series to even the series.
“Jorge, Jorge, Jorge†reverberated throughout the ballpark, which was occupied by a whopping 47,371 patrons that witnessed Seattleâ€s first home playoff win since Oct. 15, 2001, against Cleveland.
“Well, when weâ€ve got a crowd like that thatâ€s supporting us,†Polanco said, “itâ€s easy for us to go out there.â€
Despite the magnitude of his performance — Polanco became the fourth Mariners player with a multi-homer game in the postseason, joining Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner, who all accomplished the feat in 1995 —- he described an approach in the batterâ€s box that perfectly encapsulated his calm demeanor.
“I came up there just trying to get a good pitch to hit,†Polanco said. “Just hit to the middle of the field and put it straight on.â€
That method worked out in a big way for Polanco, just as it often did throughout a bounce-back season. Nearly a year ago to the date, Polanco underwent surgery to repair his left patellar tendon. And in November, the Mariners declined his $12 million option, only to bring him back for the discounted rate of $7 million for one season.
Last year, Polanco played through injury and put up pedestrian numbers relative to his career averages. In his first season in Seattle, Polanco hit just .213 with a career-low .651 OPS.
“We all knew what he was going through, and we all had his back,†teammate Julio RodrÃguez said. “We also knew how much he cared about the team last year. And just to see him, like, kind of going through and showing up every single day, he inspired me a lot, Iâ€ve got to say, just in the way that he went about his business. You could tell how much he actually wanted to play.â€
In 2025, though, Polanco hasnâ€t just been available, but impactful. He mashed 26 home runs this season, the second-most of his career, and started playing the field more frequently in the second half of the season, too.
“Thatâ€s why Iâ€m so happy for him this year, that heâ€s been more healthy, more on the field,†RodrÃguez said. “I know heâ€s put in a lot of work, and Iâ€m so, so happy that heâ€s having success again and enjoying the game of baseball that he loves.â€
Adoration was in the air for Polanco all evening, and especially following each of his home runs off Skubal. The first long ball came on a slider, and the latter off Skubalâ€s scintillating sinker – not that Polanco was sitting on either pitch.
“I didnâ€t know what was coming,†Polanco said. “Like I said, I just have a good approach, stay to the middle so I can recognize the second that it starts.â€
Polancoâ€s heroics were critical to the Mariners not completely squandering their home-field advantage, as they will instead head to Detroit needing to take just one of two games to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Seattle.
As much as players like RodrÃguez, AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh and other Mariners have drawn ample attention this season, it was Polanco who stood a cut above like only a handful of franchise greats have in postseason play.
“All I can say is Iâ€m really happy that heâ€s our teammate and heâ€s playing for us,†RodrÃguez said. “He can do what he did tonight for us, and itâ€s pretty unbelievable.â€
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