The American League Division Series is tied 1–1 after the Mariners held off the Detroit Tigers 3–2 on Sunday, October 5.
It was another night that showed why Jorge Polanco might be baseball’s most underrated clutch hitter.
Tarik Skubal was mowing hitters down early — nine strikeouts, barely any mistakes. But Jorge Polanco made him pay for the few he did make.
In the fourth inning, Polanco saw two fastballs miss high, then waited on a low changeup that just didn’t fool him. The next pitch was a slider that stayed up, and Polanco sent it 392 feet to left-center to put Seattle on the board.
Two innings later, he showed even more patience. After fighting off 99-mph fastballs and laying off another tempting changeup, Skubal finally tried to sneak a sinker over the plate. Polanco didn’t miss — another home run, 369 feet to left, his second of the night.
Both were solo shots. Both came off Skubal. And both completely changed the feel of the game.
Polanco, the switching-hitting veteran, grew up in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, the same city that produced baseball legends like Sammy Sosa, Alfonso Soriano, Robinson Canó, George Bell, and Johnny Cueto.
Detroit tied the game in the eighth on a two-run double by Spencer Torkelson, erasing what had been Polanco’s 2–0 cushion.
But the Mariners didn’t flinch. Cal Raleigh doubled. Julio Rodríguez followed with a line drive to left that brought Raleigh home for a 3–2 lead.
Then came Polanco again — this time with a soft infield single to third that pushed Rodríguez to within 90 feet of another run. He didn’t score, but Polanco’s presence forced Detroit to keep pressing, giving Seattle every chance to manufacture insurance before Andrés Muñoz shut the door in the ninth.
According to FanGraphs, Polanco leads all Mariners — and the entire American League — in Win Probability Added (WPA) and clutch performance (WPA/LI).
Mariners clutch board: Polanco leads all Seattle hitters in WPA and Clutch (WPA/LI), ahead of Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh.
Across all of Major League Baseball, he ranks second only to Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers.
Freddie Freeman leads all hitters in WPA/Clutch — Jorge Polanco ranks second overall and first in the American League.
These aren’t fantasy stats — they’re impact numbers built from real, finished games.
They measure how much a player shifts the odds of winning after the outcome is determined.
And no, those numbers aren’t inflated by Sunday’s two dongs off Skubal or the infield single that followed Julio Rodríguez’s double.
Polanco earned this reputation over six months of baseball before the start of the 2025 MLB Postseason.
Polanco went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in an 11-inning battle.
Seattle Mariners’ Jorge Polanco, right, high-fives the third base coach after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
In a game that helped Seattle avoid an early sweep, Polanco’s two-run single flipped the score late.
Seattle Mariners’ Jorge Polanco reacts after hitting a two-run single to score Dylan Moore and Miles Mastrobuoni against the Houston Astros during the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 7, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Two homers, five RBI, and a dugout full of belief.
Seattle Mariners’ Jorge Polanco is congratulated in the dugout on his two-run home run on a pitch from Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Fermin during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
After a quiet summer, Polanco reignited Seattle’s energy with a two-run homer in the second inning. The trident came out; the vibe changed.
Seattle Mariners’ Jorge Polanco holds the trident in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
An 11th-inning RBI single capped a long night and gave the Mariners the lead they needed.
Seattle Mariners’ Jorge Polanco hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the 11th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
With two outs in the fifth, Polanco launched a go-ahead three-run homer off a playoff-bound Dodgers team — sealing his reputation as a late-season weapon.
Seattle Mariners’ Jorge Polanco celebrates in the dugout after hitting a go-ahead three-run home run that also scored Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The Mariners have become one of baseball’s most international rosters — a Dominican centerpiece in Julio Rodríguez, Mexico’s late-inning ace Andrés Muñoz, Cuban-Mexican spark Randy Arozarena, and Cal Raleigh, the Team USA catcher who brought national eyes with his Home Run Derby win.
Mariners fans have witnessed some of baseball’s greatest talents — Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martínez, and Ichiro Suzuki — and they’ve cheered through the heartbreak of teams that won 116 games without a title.
This year’s roster feels different.
Amid all that star power, Jorge Polanco often gets overlooked.
But in moments that decide games — and seasons — he’s been the one delivering the biggest swings.
Game 3 moves to Detroit on Tuesday, October 7 (4:08 p.m. ET, FS1) with Logan Gilbert facing Jack Flaherty.
Oddsmakers lean Seattle, but barely:
| Series | Line |
|---|---|
| Seattle Mariners | -130 (favorite) |
| Detroit Tigers | +110 (underdog) |
Jorge Polanco Player Props – 2025 ALDS Game 3
| Category | Line / Odds |
|---|---|
| 1+ Hit | -175 |
| 2+ Hits | +270 |
| 1+ Home Run | +525 |
| 2+ Total Bases | +135 |
Seattle enters Game 3 favored by 1.5 runs (+135), with the over/under at 7.5.
Polanco’s odds reflect his reputation — undervalued in name, but the kind of player who quietly swings both scoreboards and betting lines.
Jorge Polanco has been many things — switch-hitter, survivor, quiet leader — but above all, a Dominican ballplayer who always seems to rise when it matters most.
He’s already delivered seven clutch games this year. Now comes the real test.
Since breaking out with a 4.6 WAR season in 2019, Polanco has quietly ranked among MLB’s most reliable late-game hitters.
According to FanGraphs’ clutch metrics since 2014, he’s consistently near the top — right alongside names like Andrés Giménez, Tommy Edman, and Bo Bichette.
He’s not perfect. In the first inning Sunday, he popped out on the first pitch, bailing Skubal of the first on 16 pitches after a leadoff single to Arozarena.
Three innings later, he didn’t miss — and changed everything.
Seattle heads to Detroit with the series tied and momentum on their side.
Will Jorge Polanco prove to be October’s most clutch hitter too?
