While a Game 1 loss in the ALDS is far from disastrous, circumstances were lining up for the Seattle Mariners to perhaps flame out early in the postseason. After all, the Detroit Tigers, after taking Game 1, were sending the near-invincible Tarik Skubal to the mound with a chance to go up with a commanding 2-0 series lead with the series heading to Motor City. But Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco isn't just about to let Skubal mow down his team without a fight.

Polanco, who's had his fair share of postseason at-bats in the past, turned on playoff mode on Sunday night and hit two massive home runs off of Skubal in his first two plate appearances on the night, giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead that they are yet to relinquish with the game still ongoing.

Just to put in perspective how rare anyone homers off of Skubal twice in a single game, the last time anyone did so against the Tigers ace was on the 25th of August all the way back in 2021, when Paul Goldschmidt hit two home runs off of an inexperienced starter who was just in his first full big-league season (according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network).

Skubal has become one of the most untouchable starters in MLB since, and this year was his best yet, as he tallied an ERA of 2.21 across 31 starts (195.1 innings of work). And yet the Mariners second baseman tagged him for not just one, but two long balls in a game where every run was as precious as gold.

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It also helped the Mariners second baseman that he has the most regular-season at-bats against Skubal out of any player on the team, as pointed out by Morosi. Polanco did play for an AL Central team in the Minnesota Twins until 2023, and this has certainly helped him prepare for his October 2025 moment.

Stoppable force meets immovable object in Mariners-Tigers ALDS Game 2

Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) runs towards first base after hitting a single against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Unlike the other ALDS in which runs are flowing out of a bottomless pitcher for both the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, scoring is at a premium in the Mariners and Tigers' clash. In Game 1, the Tigers won 3-2 in the 11th inning courtesy of a go-ahead single from Zach McKinstry. And in Game 2, things are shaping up for another nervous, low-scoring finish — with the Mariners leading 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth.

Can the Mariners go ahead and seal the deal to go on the road in the ALDS with the series tied?