Associated Press<\/p>\n
SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 Shortly after Jorge Polanco<\/a>\u2019s second home run of the game off reigning AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal<\/a>, a chant broke out from a smattering of Mariners<\/a> fans at T-Mobile Park. <\/p>\n It was resemblant of the familiar soccer chant, \u201cOl\u00e9, Ol\u00e9, Ol\u00e9\u2033, except the Seattle supporters were repeating Polanco\u2019s first name after he put the Mariners up 2-0 en route to a 3-2 win against the Detroit Tigers<\/a> in Game 2 of their AL Division Series on Sunday to even the series.<\/p>\n \u201cJorge, Jorge, Jorge\u201d reverberated throughout the ballpark, which was occupied by a whopping 47,371 patrons that witnessed Seattle\u2019s first home playoff win since Oct. 15, 2001, against Cleveland. <\/p>\n \u201cWell, when we\u2019ve got a crowd like that that\u2019s supporting us,\u201d Polanco said, \u201cit\u2019s easy for us to go out there.\u201d <\/p>\n Despite the magnitude of his performance \u2014 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 \u2014- he described an approach in the batter\u2019s box that perfectly encapsulated his calm demeanor. <\/p>\n \u201cI came up there just trying to get a good pitch to hit,\u201d Polanco said. \u201cJust hit to the middle of the field and put it straight on.\u201d<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n \u201cWe all knew what he was going through, and we all had his back,\u201d teammate Julio Rodriguez<\/a> said. \u201cWe 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, I\u2019ve got to say, just in the way that he went about his business. You could tell how much he actually wanted to play.\u201d <\/p>\n In 2025, though, Polanco hasn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m so happy for him this year, that he\u2019s been more healthy, more on the field,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said. \u201cI know he\u2019s put in a lot of work, and I\u2019m so, so happy that he\u2019s having success again and enjoying the game of baseball that he loves.\u201d<\/p>\n Adoration was in the air for Polanco all evening on Sunday, and especially following each of his home runs off Skubal. The first long ball came on a slider, and the latter off Skubal\u2019s scintillating sinker \u2013 not that Polanco was sitting on either pitch. <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know what was coming,\u201d Polanco said. \u201cLike I said, I just have a good approach, stay to the middle so I can recognize the second that it starts.\u201d<\/p>\n Polanco\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n As much as players like Rodr\u00edguez, AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n \u201cAll I can say is I\u2019m really happy that he\u2019s our teammate and he\u2019s playing for us,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said. \u201cHe can do what he did tonight for us, and it\u2019s pretty unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n