Twins fans can’t help but feel nostalgic as the legend of Mariners Jorge Polanco grows

Twins fans can’t help but feel nostalgic as the legend of Mariners Jorge Polanco grows

Second baseman Jorge Polanco is one of the main reasons why the Seattle Mariners are up 1-0 in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), as former Twin Tigers ace Tarik Skubal tapped for two home runs in the Mariners’ 3-2 American League Division Series (ALDS) Game 2 win, a walk-off single scored 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 seasonmainly due to the emergence of second baseman Edouard Julien, who has since struggled to survive in the major leagues. Minnesota has gotten some value out of the return for Polanco with righty reliever Justin Topa, who has a $2 million club option for next year, and the top player in the trade, Gabriel Gonzalez, appears to be a star in the making. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Polanco, who re-signed with the Mariners last offseason on a one-year deal, has given the Twins many productive seasons, and the team certainly could have used him this year. In 138 games this season, Polanco hit .265/.326/.495 (132 wRC+) with 26 home runs, 78 RBIs, 64 runs and six stolen bases.

However, it is doubtful that Polanco would have been enough to become contenders for the Twins postseason this year. Therefore, Twins fans can forget about their favorite team for now and continue rooting for Polanco as he tries to win the World Series with Seattle. Not to mention that 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 Rogers Center in Toronto on Monday at 4:03 PM CT. Righty Logan Gilbert will make the start on the mound for the Mariners, while rookie righty Trey Yesavage will start for the Blue Jays. The game will be available to stream on FOX and FS1.