The Seattle Mariners are two wins away from the pennant and six away from hosting the long-awaited World Series trophy for the very first time. A majority of the MLB community is rooting for the Mariners to end the drought.
A big piece to the puzzle has not been a big name among the stars of the team. When you talk about the Mariners right now, the first thing mentioned is Cal “Big Dumper” Raliegh and his incredible power. Then, it's the pitching staff, followed by Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor, and Eugenio Suarez.
One of the best players on the team goes unnoticed more than he should. Jorge Polanco secretly had one of the best hitting seasons by any hitter in baseball, outside of his teammate and Aaron Judge. Polanco was the clutchest hitter in the game, according to FanGraphs.
Polanco's +1.76 Clutch Factor was the highest in the league ahead of Freddy Freeman (+1.66), Bo Bichette (+1.45), and Gunner Henderson (+1.26). The second baseman smashed 26 home runs this season with an OPS of .821. He drove in 78 RBIs and walked 42 times. He ended the regular season with 125 hits in 138 games. If he played all 162, he would have likely been right behind Rodriguez for the team lead.
Seeing Polanco ball out in the playoffs is not a shock. Here is what Polanco said about his playoff hitting. It was short and sweet.
“I feel really good right now.”
The slugger has a lot of experience in this league. He is hitting .258 with a .851 OPS. He has eight hits and three home runs in seven games. He is putting on the kind of performance that would earn him ALCS MVP if he keeps this up.
Game 3 is tonight. Shane Bieber is on the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays, and George Kirby is starting for the Mariners. The Blue Jays have their heels against the wall while the Mariners aim to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
