SEATTLE — Jorge Polanco delivered a decisive walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning, securing a 4-3 victory for the Seattle Mariners over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night.
During a tense ninth inning, with one out and the bases loaded, Polanco hit a clean single up the middle against Guardians’ closer Emmanuel Clase. Earlier in the inning, Clase failed to close out the game when a wild pitch allowed Dylan Moore to cross home plate, tying the game at 3-3.
The Mariners seized an early advantage by scoring twice in the second inning against Cleveland’s starter, Tanner Bibee. Cal Raleigh contributed with an RBI double, while Polanco added to the tally with a sacrifice fly. Over five innings, Bibee surrendered two runs on four hits.
The Guardians responded by scoring the next three runs, highlighted by José Ramírez’s solo home run in the fifth inning. This extended his impressive career-high on-base streak to 39 games, currently the longest active streak in Major League Baseball.
Despite Cleveland’s efforts, they couldn’t prevent the Mariners from rallying, allowing Jackson Kowar to secure his first win of the season with a flawless ninth inning.
Key moment of the game
The bottom of the ninth began with Dominic Canzone’s single, prompting Dylan Moore to take over as a pinch runner. With deft teamwork, Moore successfully stole second base and then moved to third on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Cole Young. Moore’s quick dash home on Clase’s errant pitch set the stage for the victory.
Noteworthy statistic
Seattle’s starting pitcher, George Kirby, saw his remarkable streak of 68 consecutive starts with two or fewer walks come to an end, as he issued three walks on Saturday. This streak ranks as the third-longest in MLB history, behind legendary right-handers Carlos Silva and Cy Young.
Coming up
In the concluding game of the three-match series on Sunday, the Mariners will field RHP Emerson Hancock (2-2, 5.04 ERA) to the mound. Meanwhile, the Guardians will rely on RHP Luis Ortiz (3-7, 4.26 ERA) to lead their pitching efforts.