When the lights are brightest and the stakes are highest, Randy Arozarena tends to be at his best.
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The Seattle Mariners left fielder built a reputation for October stardom during his time in Tampa Bay, where he compiled an all-time great postseason during the Rays’ 2020 World Series run. Arozarena batted .377 with 10 home runs and a 1.273 OPS in 20 postseason games that year, including four homers in the American League Championship Series and three in the World Series.
In fact, among all MLB hitters with at least 100 postseason plate appearances since the league’s expansion era began in 1961, Arozarena has the second-best postseason slugging percentage (.634) and the third-best postseason OPS (1.028), according to Stathead.
Arozarena’s October pedigree hasn’t yet translated to the Mariners this postseason. After a cold September, the 30-year-old slugger went 4 for 19 with a double through the first four games of Seattle’s AL Division Series against the Detroit Tigers.
But with a deciding Game 5 looming on Friday night at T-Mobile Park, there’s reason to believe Arozarena could be primed for a big-time moment.
While the box scores don’t show it, Arozarena has hit the ball as well as anyone in the Mariners’ lineup this series. Through the first four games of the ALDS, the righty slugger has put a team-high eight balls in play with a 95-plus mph exit velocity and a team-high six balls in play with a 100-plus mph exit velocity, according to Baseball Savant.
That includes a pair of hard-hit balls off Game 5 starter Tarik Skubal back in Game 2 – a 107.2 mph single and a 102.5 mph flyout.
Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman highlighted Arozarena’s big-game potential during his weekly conversation Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
“I’m still waiting for that big Randy moment,” Shusterman said. “He led off (Game 2) against Skubal with a hit, so maybe he’s got a big swing in there (with) the right-on-left matchup.
“You get Randy for these moments,” he added.
More Seattle Mariners ALDS coverage
• Who’s to say the Seattle Mariners can’t beat Tarik Skubal again?
• Start time set for Seattle Mariners’ decisive ALDS Game 5 vs. Tigers
• What to know as Seattle Mariners head to deciding Game 5 in ALDS
• What stands out to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi as ALDS goes to a Game 5
• Three observations from Seattle Mariners’ Game 4 loss to Tigers
