Polanco adds to growing October legend with key Game 2 HR

TORONTO -- If the Mariners wind up winning the whole thing, Jorge Polanco is well on his way to approaching statue territory.

OK, that might be a stretch given that the only monuments outside T-Mobile Park currently are for their members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame -- currently Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, with a third coming next season for Ichiro Suzuki after his enshrinement in July.

But Polanco is nonetheless having that kind of October, and for the only franchise that’s never played in the World Series.

And his heroics in Monday's 10-3 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series have them two wins away from that elusive Fall Classic.

Seattle’s slugging second baseman crushed a three-run homer in the fifth inning that broke a tense 3-3 tie and helped open the floodgates toward a commanding 2-0 series lead as the best-of-seven round shifts to T-Mobile Park.

“I love those situations,” Polanco said. “I don’t know what to say, man. I’m clutch, but I’m just trying to keep it simple. I love to be in those situations. I love my teammates when they’re in those situations. But I’m trying to keep it simple.”

Coupled with his go-ahead RBI in ALCS Game 1, and the game-winning knock in the Mariners’ 15-inning marathon vs. Detroit on Friday, Polanco became just the third player since 1974 with a game-winning RBI in at least three straight postseason games. He joined Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer (2015 ALCS Game 6 and World Series Games 1-2) and Detroit’s Delmon Young (2012 ALCS Games 1-4).

Polanco also became the first player in MLB history to have all three of those go-ahead knocks come in the fifth inning or later, a stat that speaks to how he’s stepped up when the stakes have been the highest.

None of these numbers even include Polanco homering twice off Tarik Skubal in Game 2 of the Mariners’ AL Division Series. That came while he was batting right-handed against the all-world lefty, who’s the front-runner to win his second straight AL Cy Young Award.

Including his past three games and the first homer vs. Skubal, Polanco now has four go-ahead plate appearances this postseason -- tying Griffey for the most in a single postseason in franchise history. Obviously, the Mariners don’t have an extensive October precedent, but they are authoring one in 2025 on the shoulders of their 32-year-old second baseman.

“He's been carrying this lineup this postseason, doing a great job,” Cal Raleigh said. “And like I said, a huge bat in the middle of that order, especially being a switch-hitter. Being able to carry that weight is important.”

Monday’s big hack was from Polanco’s left side, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine which is better -- because he’s been raking from both. In these playoffs, Polanco is slashing .258/.303/.548 (.851 OPS), with an RBI on six of his eight hits.

In a 1-1 count vs. righty reliever Louis Varland, who just took over for starter Trey Yesavage, Polanco demolished a 98.1 mph heater at the bottom of the zone and sent it 400 feet and just barely over the right-center wall.

“We call him George Bonds for a reason,” J.P. Crawford said. “The guy can swing it. He has a gift.”

It was the type of swing that Polanco couldn’t manage for most of last season, which ended with career worsts in batting average (.213) and OPS (.651) and led to surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee -- nearly one year ago to the day.

“When he's healthy, he's one of the best players,” Julio Rodríguez said. “That's just the reality. Obviously, there is always a lot behind the scenes that you can say, 'Oh, why is this guy not hitting?' But there's always a little bit more. I just feel like his health was not there last year. We saw him battling through a lot of things. But this year, he's been feeling better and you can see.”

That dip in production was largely why the Mariners didn’t exercise a $12 million club option on the veteran last November -- a clause that seemed to be a no-brainer when they first acquired him from Minnesota in January 2024. But the sides remained in contact through what was a quiet offseason in Seattle.

Then finally, on Feb. 3, the sides reached an agreement on a one-year, $7 million contract that included a $750,000 buyout -- and for him to man third base, a position he wound up barely playing. And for a fanbase seeking something splashy, bringing back Polanco didn’t fit that bill. But now, for president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander, it looks like a coup.

“I spent a year here, hurt, but my teammates only supported me,” Polanco said. “They treated me really good. I appreciate that. I just wanted to come back here.”

Polanco’s deal included a few incentives that he’s already reached. He netted $500,000 for accumulating 450 plate appearances on Sept. 7 and also vested a $6 million player option for 2026. Yet at this rate, he might have a robust free-agent market this winter to earn a more lucrative and multiyear deal.

While free agency will open just five days after the World Series, that feels like eons away for Polanco given the sights he and the Mariners have set -- which they are that much closer to after his big night on Monday.