Twins fans can't help feeling nostalgic as legend of Mariners' Jorge Polanco grows
Second baseman Jorge Polanco is one of the main reasons the Seattle Mariners are up 1-0 in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), as the former Twin tagged Tigers ace Tarik Skubal for two home runs in the Mariners' 3-2 American League Division Series (ALDS) Game 2 victory, notched a walk-off single in the 15th inning of ALDS Game 5 to send Seattle to the ALCS, and went 2-for-4 with two RBI singles in ALCS Game 1 to give the Mariners a 3-1 road win against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Twins traded Polanco to the Mariners after the 2023 season, primarily due to the emergence of second baseman Edouard Julien, who has since struggled to stick around in the major leagues. Minnesota has got some value out of its return for Polanco in righty reliever Justin Topa, who has a $2 million club option for next year, and the top prospect from the trade, Gabriel Gonzalez, appears to be a star in the making. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that Polanco, who re-signed with the Mariners this past offseason on a one-year deal, gave the Twins many productive seasons, and the team certainly could've used him this year. In 138 games this season, Polanco has hit .265/.326/.495 (132 wRC+) with 26 home runs, 78 RBIs, 64 runs and six stolen bases.
However, it's doubtful Polanco would have been enough to make the Twins postseason contenders this year. Therefore, Twins fans can forget about their favorite team for the time being and continue to root for Polanco as he endeavors to win the World Series with Seattle. Not to mention, former Twins catcher Mitch Garver is also on the Mariners' roster, giving Twins fans another reason to root for Seattle.
Polanco and the Mariners will take on the Blue Jays for ALCS Game 2 at 4:03 p.m. CT on Monday at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Righty Logan Gilbert will make the start on the mound for the Mariners, while rookie righty Trey Yesavage is slated to start for the Blue Jays. The game will be available to stream on FOX and FS1.