Seattle Mariners beat MLB-leading Detroit Tigers 8-4, sweeping 3-game series before All-Star break
The Detroit Tigers are going into the All-Star break on a season-high, 4-game losing streak after losing to the Seattle Mariners 8-4 on Sunday.
Jorge Polanco and Cole Young hit back-to-back home runs in a four-run ninth inning to help the Mariners complete the three-game sweep of the Tigers.
Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena and Mitch Garver also hit solo home runs for the Mariners, who humbled the major league-leading Tigers with 12-3 and 15-7 wins in the first two games of the series.
Seattle's 35 runs is the most they have scored in a three-game series since 2002.
After Polanco broke a 4-all tie in the ninth and Young created a two-run cushion, the Mariners scored two more runs.
Matt Brash (1-0) struck out two in the eighth to earn the win.
Tommy Kahnle (1-2) gave up three runs on two hits and a walk without getting an out in the pivotal ninth.
Detroit scored two unearned runs off Logan Gilbert in the first inning, taking advantage of Luke Raley's throwing error, and went ahead again in the seventh on Riley Greene's 24th homer of the season.
Seattle's Cal Raleigh went 0 for 2 with three walks, leaving him with an AL-record 38 homers before the All-Star Game — one shy of Barry Bonds' 2001 major league record for homers before the break. Raleigh stole a base, joining Babe Ruth (1921), Reggie Jackson (1969) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1998) as players with at least 38 homers and 10 stolen bases in their team's first 96 games.
Key moment
Polanco was a pinch-hitter to lead off the ninth and hit a 401-foot homer to right.
Key stat
Raleigh is the first catcher to lead the majors outright in homers at the All-Star break since Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1972.
Up next
The Tigers have a franchise-record six All-Stars in Atlanta, including starting pitcher Tarik Skubal. Seattle is sending five All-Stars to the Midsummer Classic for the first time since 2003.