Jorge Polanco takes command as Mariners slay Giants 8-3

Thomas Cochrane was not a popular man. His friends would say that he was “independent” or “strong-willed.” His enemies called him flippant, insubordinate, and stubborn.

Born to minor Scottish nobility in 1775, he served in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. During his military career, he gained a reputation for both hot-headedness and skill. Cunning and arrogance. Bravery and foolishness. After the Napoleonic Wars ended and he was kicked out of the British Navy (stock market fraud, we don’t have to get into it), he sailed to South America and trained the navies of Chile, Brazil, and Peru, helping them win their wars for independence.

But none of that is why I’m bringing him up today. No, I’m bringing him up because in 1801, Thomas Cochrane slew a giant.

Jorge Polanco has spent the last decade terrorizing the AL Central. He built himself a career to be proud of in Minnesota, posing a triple digit wRC+ every year except for 2017 (90) and 2020 (82). And now, like Cochrane before him, he has been cut loose by his former organization, though he probably hasn’t committed any securities fraud.

And now, like Cochrane in Chile, he’s here to show us how it’s done.

Before today’s game, Polanco was already looking like Seattle’s best acquisition this offseason. Going 5-12 with a double and 4 walks early in spring is an sure way to endear yourself to a new fanbase. As is playing excellent defense at 2nd base, a notorious trouble spot for the Mariners. But today, Jorge decided to make a deeper impression on the fans.

After fellow a fellow George, Kirby, got through the first, picking up 2 strikeouts on the way, Polanco sent a baseball so high it registered on radar before it came back down and bounced off the batter’s eye for an early home run.

That blast was followed up by a stand-up triple from Cal Raleigh (!), who scored on a line drive by a new-look Ty France. The 2-0 Seattle lead was short lived, however, as in the top of the second, Casey Schmitt brought two Giants in to tie it up.

After being court-martialed for disrespecting his first lieutenant, Cochrane was given command of the small 14-gun brig HMS Speedy. This assignment was meant to just keep him out of the way. In command of such a small vessel, there was no way that he could keep bothering his superiors.

And yet when, on May 6, 1801, Cochrane spotted a Spanish frigate with 6 times his men and 7 times his firepower, rather than run away and escape, he loaded his cannons, and prepared to fight.

The top of the second got out of hand for Giants pitcher Tommy Romero. First Samad Taylor hit a ball hard, but Romero got off lucky, and left fielder Heliot Ramos was there to make the catch. But one out does not an inning end, and after giving up a single to Taylor Trammell, the wheels started to come off. A pair of uncompetitive walks to Michael Papierski and Dylan Moore loaded up the bases. And then Jorge Polanco stepped into the box.

Cochrane hoisted the American flag as he bore down on the frigate El Gamo. It was a common trick, but it worked on the Spaniards, and he was able to get in close. He brought Speedy right alongside the enemy ship, so close that the Spanish gunners couldn’t depress their cannons low enough to hit the British ship. From close in, Cochrane fired his cannons double shotted up into the frigates hull, killing the Spanish captain with the first broadside.

Three times the Spanish crew tried to board Speedy, but every time Cochrane shoved off the Spanish ship and put just enough water between them to make it impossible. Eventually, Cochrane sent his own men over to board to the Frigate and haul down the Spanish flag. Seeing the flag come down, the Spanish crew thought their officers had surrendered and gave up the fight. In capturing his giant, Cochrane had only lost three men.

Do I need to tell you how Polanco’s at bat went? Probably not. Instead, let me show you.

Were this the regular season, I would be able to tell you the stats on this ball: how hard it was hit, how high it went, and how far it went. Since it’s spring training, we’ll have to settle for “very” on all three counts.

With the game well in hand, the Mariners were able to turn on cruise control and take in the fabulous Peoria weather. Kirby had some minor difficulty, but seemed to have been using mostly his secondaires, including one knuckleball to Schmitt. He picked up 5 strikeouts in his 2.1 innings of work, and then his day was over.

But Polanco’s wasn’t. When he came up again in the 4th with two outs, Carson Seymour hit him in what was surely an accident. But team player Cal Raleigh didn’t take kindly to it and torched a ball to the left-center gap that almost got out. Instead, it ended up being an RBI double for Cal as Polanco jogged in to score.

At that point, the game was pretty much out of reach. Jonny Farmelo hit a homer of his own to give the Mariners an 8th run. In the top of the ninth, the Giants threatened to rally, with Jimmy Glowenke hitting a solo shot off of Troy Taylor, but it came to naught, and the Mariners were able to ride out to an easy win.

In his time as captain of Speedy, Cochrane captured, burned, sank, or otherwise destroyed 53 ships before being captured by the French. After being released in a prisoner exchange, the Royal Navy rewarded him for his daring by promoting him to post-captain, the rank he would have obtained had it not been for his court-martial. Eventually, after fighting in the Latin American wars for independence, he was welcomed back to the Royal Navy and made an Admiral. In 1847 he received a knighthood from Queen Victoria, and lived to be 84 years old.

I know that it’s just spring training, but today he slew the Giants. If he can keep up the form that he’s been showing so far, it’s going to be a good season for the Mariners, and a long one for the rest of the AL West.