By Raúl Germán Bautista.- Luis Castillo pitched 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and only allowed one hit; Jorge Polanco batted 4-3, including two home runs, and Julio Rodríguez drove in the winning run in four turns, in the Seattle Mariners‘ 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.
The two home runs by Polanco came against the left-hander Tarik Skubal, the primary candidate for the American League Cy Young Award, who has maintained an effectiveness of 1.84 in two starts during this postseason.
Daniel Kramer, of MLB.com, explained that the current roster of the Mariners represents the present and future of the franchise. “They are the faces of the team and the pieces on which they have built their project. Players who are already on their way to stardom and who could achieve eternal status in this region if this postseason run ends with a parade,” noted the journalist.
On an emotional level, this was the first postseason win for the Mariners at T-Mobile Park since Game 1 of the American League Championship Series in 2001, a fact that moved many fans present to tears.
“Rodríguez has embraced that emotion, speaking enthusiastically about the Mariners’ aspirations despite the lack of experience of the organization in this scenario. And he could be the perfect symbol of the change in that narrative: a player with four years in the Major Leagues, with a promising career, but who until now had been defined more by his potential than by his consecration,” expressed.
“This has to be number one,” assured Rodríguez. “We haven’t had a moment like this here in a long time, so being able to give the team a win tonight was something really special for me. Seeing the fans and how they lit up was very special. I will always keep that memory in my heart.”
credits for the images in this post: n.com.do
