Jorge Polanco's 3-Hit Showing Lifts Seattle Mariners to 4-2 Win Over Athletics
SEATTLE — A near-perfect showing from Logan Gilbert and two late-game home runs elevated the Seattle Mariners to a 4-2 win against the Athletics in front of a crowd of over 42,000 Thursday at T-Mobile Park.
Gilbert started the last game of 2024 for the Mariners against the Athletics on Sept. 29. He struck out seven in 5.2 innings pitched that contest. He picked up where he left off Thursday and put up a quality start of seven innings pitched, eight strikeouts and no walks. Gilbert allowed one earned run off two hits. A's first baseman Tyler Soderstrom was responsible for Gilbert's lone blemish with a solo home run to center field in the top of the fifth.
Logan Gilbert, Wicked 82mph Splitter. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/0gxgz0GLHh
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 28, 2025
"(The Athletics) are a really good team," Gilbert said in a postgame interview Thursday. "Good lineup. Some of the top hitters in the game in that lineup. So, you can't really just lay it out there. You got to be, I don't want to say careful, but you got to go to your spots and stay committed to that over and over for however many pitches it was. You don't ever want to get in cruise control and just lay one out there like the home run. ... You want to get ahead and really be stubborn to your spots."
Sodestrom's homer was the only asterisk to Gilbert's quality start. But it was enough to give the Athletics the advantage for most of the latter half of the game.
Victor Robles tied the game at 1-1 after he brought home J.P. Crawford with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh. That score came after a confusing play where Ryan Bliss was called safe at home on a passed ball that Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers thought was a foul tip. A review overturned the call on the field and ruled Bliss out at home. But the play moved Crawford to third, which set him up to score on the sac fly.
The tie didn't last long. Soderstrom hit his second solo home run of the game in the top of the eighth off right-handed Seattle reliever Trent Thornton. Soderstrom put the former Oakland representatives back up 2-1.
The Mariners' victory came in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of two home runs from the middle of the lineup.
Cal Raleigh wore down A's reliever Jose Leclerc with an 11-pitch at-bat to lead-off the bottom of the eighth. Raleigh didn't reach base. But he set up cleanup hitter Randy Arozarena for a 424-foot solo home run hit off the weary Leclerc that tied the game at 2-2.
Randy CRUSH 💥 pic.twitter.com/I2oDbAtsH1
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 28, 2025
Two at-bats later, with Luke Raley on first, Jorge Polanco (batting sixth) capped off a 3-for-3 day with a two-run bomb to center field for the eventual final of 4-2 Mariners. Polanco had three hits in four games all of 2024 while dealing with hamstring and knee issues. He underwent surgery on a damaged left patellar tendon in the offseason.
POLO for the LEAD ‼️ pic.twitter.com/pFFrwr0hbE
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 28, 2025
"I went through a lot of stuff last year," Polanco said in a postgame conference. "I worked hard during the offseason to get better. I'm feeling really good and just awesome, man."
All-Star closer Andres Munoz entered the game in the ninth and had his first save of 2025. Thornton got the win due to Arozarena's and Polanco's eighth-inning heroics. Polanco finished 3-for-3 with his homer and two RBIs. Arozarena went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and an RBI.
"The late-inning heroics were unbelievable," manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview. "Fans were outstanding. Great to be home for this one. ... Some really timely hitting late in the game. That's the difference. Just a great ballgame all around."
Seattle will take on the Athletics in Game 2 of the four-game series at 6:40 p.m. PT on Friday at T-Mobile Park.
Luis Castillo will start for the Mariners against Jeffrey Springs.
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