Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez went 1 for 4 with an RBI double in a 3-2 playoff win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday in Seattle. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo
Julio Rodriguez ripped a go-ahead double in the eighth inning to lead the Seattle Mariners past the Detroit Tigers for their first home playoff win since 2001.
The Mariners entered the bottom of the inning tied 2-2 before Rodriguez’s heroics sparked the 3-2 victory Sunday in Seattle. With the Game 2 win, the Mariners tied the best-of-five game American League Division Series 1-1.
“We haven’t had a time like this here in a while, so being able to deliver a win tonight as a team I think was really special for me,” Rodriguez said on the Fox Sports broadcast.
“Just to see the fans and the way they got going, it was very special. I’m always going to hold that memory in my heart.”
Second baseman Jorge Polanco recorded two home runs for the Mariners. Starter Luis Castillo allowed just one hit over 4 2/3 shutout innings. Tigers ace Tarik Skubal allowed five hits and two runs over seven innings.
Skubal and Castillo kept the game scoreless through the first three innings. Polanco ended the deadlock with a 392-foot solo homer in the bottom of the fourth. He doubled the Mariners lead with a second homer off Skubal — a 369-foot solo shot — in the sixth.
Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson tied the score with a two-run double in the top of the eighth. The Mariners answered when catcher Cal Raleigh doubled in the second at-bat of the bottom of the inning. Just two pitches later, Rodriguez proceeded to smoke his double to left field off relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan, driving in Raleigh for what proved to be the game-winning run.
Polanco was the only player in the game with multiple hits. He went 3 for 4 in the victory.
Sunday’s win was the Mariners’ first home playoff victory since they beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 5 of the 2001 ALDS on Oct. 15, 2001 in Seattle. Those Mariners went on to lost to the New York Yankees in the ALCS. The Yankees lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series.
“I know these fans have been waiting a while,” Rodriguez said. “We are definitely grinding a lot for them. To deliver one win for them is really special. But we know the job is not finished.”
The Tigers (1-1) will host the Mariners (1-1) in Game 3 at 4:08 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Detroit.
The winner of the Mariners-Tigers series will take on the New York Yankees or Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 ALCS. The Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead in that best-of-five series with a 13-7 triumph over the Yankees on Sunday in Toronto.
Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage did not allow a hit or a run over 5 1/3 innings in that victory. He also issued 11 strikeouts and just one walk. Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3 for 5 with a grand slam and four RBIs.
Center fielder Daulton Varsho homered twice for the Blue Jays. Third baseman Ernie Clement and designated hitter George Springer also homered in the win. The Blue Jays used seven relief pitchers to close out Game 2. They combined to allow 10 hits and seven runs over the final 3 2/3 innings.
Yankees starter Max Fried allowed eight hits and seven runs over three innings to take the loss. Right fielder Aaron Judge, first baseman Ben Rice and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton recorded two hits apiece for the Yankees. Left fielder Cody Bellinger hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning of the loss.
The Yankees (0-2) will look to avoid elimination when they host the Blue Jays (2-0) in Game 3 at 8:08 p.m. Tuesday in New York.
The Philadelphia Phillies (0-1) will host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of their NLDS at 6:08 p.m. Monday in Philadelphia. The Milwaukee Brewers (1-0) will host the Chicago Cubs (0-1) in Game 2 of the other NLDS at 9:08 p.m. Monday in Milwaukee.
