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Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez deliver in Mariners' thrilling Game 2 victory over Tigers

Adam Jude, The Seattle Times on

Published in Baseball

SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh cruised home for the go-ahead run and Julio Rodríguez coasted into second base, jumping and danced upon his arrival in the middle of the infield, a celebration matched in style and in intensity by the 47,371 fans inside T-Mobile Park on Sunday evening.

In their biggest game of the year, the Seattle Mariners’ two biggest stars came through in the biggest moment.

Rodríguez doubled down the left-field line two pitches after Raleigh doubled down the right-field line to spark an eighth-inning rally and send the Mariners to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

The best-of-five series now moves to Detroit for Game 3 on Tuesday.

Jorge Polanco homered twice off reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead going into the eighth inning.

The Tigers, who won Game 1 on Saturday by a 3-2 score, tied Game 2 with two runs in the eighth inning off Mariners reliever Matt Brash, benefiting from an error on first baseman Josh Naylor.

But Raleigh and Rodríguez came through in the bottom of the eighth inning off Tigers right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan.

 

Raleigh sat on a first-pitch splitter from Finnegan and sent it into the right-field corner for a one-out double.

Two pitches later, Rodríguez sent a Finnegan splitter down the left-field line to drive in Raleigh for the go-ahead run.

Luis Castillo threw 4 2/3 strong innings, allowing only one hit.

Two outs into the fifth inning, M’s manager Dan Wilson pulled Castillo and called on lefty Gabe Speier to face the Tigers’ most feared slugger, Kerry Carpenter, whose fifth-inning home run Saturday off M’s starter George Kirby changed the complexion of this series.

On Sunday, Wilson immediately turned to Speier — and Speier came through by ripping a 96-mph fastball right down the middle of the plate, striking out Carpenter swinging to strand two runners and preserve the Mariners’ 1-0 lead.


©2025 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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