Passan: ‘The Mariners go on heaters when Jorge Polanco goes on heaters’

Sep 16, 2025, 10:15 AM

Editor, Seattle Sports

When the Seattle Mariners moved into first place in the AL West early in the season, it came amid a 16-4 run that was punctuated by a six-game win streak.

And when the Mariners took back first place in the division over the weekend, it came thanks to a season-best nine-game win streak.

The numbers behind Mariners’ red-hot September surge

If you’re looking for a common denominator in those Mariners two hot streaks, the bat of Jorge Polanco is an obvious one.

Through Seattle’s first 32 games of 2025, Polanco played in 24 of them and was one of the best hitters in baseball, slashing .395/.434/.816 for a 1.250 OPS with nine home runs, five doubles and 25 RBIs.

And in Polanco’s last 24 games covering mid-August through now, he’s… been one of the best hitters in baseball, slashing .369/.409/.750 for an 1.159 OPS with six homers, 14 doubles and 19 RBIs.

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan sees the correlation.

“The Mariners go on heaters when Jorge Polanco goes on heaters, and he’s on one in September,” Passan said during his weekly visit with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday morning. “He’s batting almost .400 (in September), and the Mariners, when they had that great run in April, Jorge Polanco was batting .384.”

Polo knocks one in! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/tGK9oNU1G1

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 13, 2025

Polanco had his struggles in the middle of the season, as Passan pointed out that his montly batting averages were .139 in May, .222 in June, .256 in July and .259 in August. But it’s clear that without his impact early in the season and now late, the Mariners wouldn’t be in the position they are.

“The last couple of months, the slug has been there, too,” Passan said. “He’s had a phenomenal season and I don’t think I was anticipating that.”

More: Mariners’ surprise reunion with Jorge Polanco really paying off

Polanco enters Tuesday’s series opener at Kansas City with a 12-game hitting streak, a nine-game extra-base hit streak, and a streak of seven straight games with a double. In fact, after a three-double performance in Sunday’s 11-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels, Polanco has 11 hits over his last seven games, 10 of which are doubles. That accounts for over a third of his season total of 28 doubles.

Polanco’s streak of seven games with a double is tied for a team record with Jim Presley (1986), and he’s one game shy of the team record of 10 straight games with an extra-base hit that Ken Griffey Jr. set in 1993.

On the season, Polanco has a .267/.328/.497 slash for an .825 OPS with 24 homers and 72 RBIs in 128 games. It’s been a significant bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign, his first with Seattle, where he slashed .213/.296/.355 for a .651 OPS with 16 homers in 118 games while playing through a knee injury.

Polanco and the Mariners (82-68) begin a three-game series against the Royals (75-75) on Tuesday, holding onto a half-game lead over the Houston Astros (82-69) for first place in the AL West. First pitch of Tuesday’s game is set for 4:40 p.m., with radio coverage on Seattle Sports starting at 3:30 with the pregame show.

Catch ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan at 8:30 a.m. each Tuesday during the Seattle Mariners season on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.