That was the home playoff game Seattle was waiting for.
One day after their series-opening disappointment in extra innings, the Mariners faced a tall task: Beat the Tigers with Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal on the mound, or face an 0-2 ALDS hole as the series moved to Detroit. They chose the former in a 3-2 victory in Game 2, their first home playoff win in 24 years.
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Skubal looked as dominant as ever — except when he faced Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco. The MLB veteran took the ace deep twice to give his team the lead.
Those homers would have been enough, had the Tigers not rallied in the eighth inning when a pair of mistakes — a walk and a Josh Naylor error — put two runners on base, and then both scored on a Spencer Torkelson double. That turn of events left T-Mobile Park quiet, at least until the bottom of the inning.
Franchise cornerstones Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez hit back-to-back doubles to put the Mariners back ahead in a classic postseason moment for the franchise.
That was the offensive side. On the mound, the Mariners sent out Luis Castillo, who took a no-hitter into the fifth inning but got pulled after his first base hit allowed. Andrés Muñoz closed out the ninth after recording six outs in Game 1. All told, the Seattle pitching staff allowed one earned run while striking out 10 and allowing three hits.
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The series now heads to Detroit, where Logan Gilbert and Jack Flaherty are on track to face off in Game 3 beginning at 4:08 p.m. ET Tuesday.
