It wasn’t the headlining professional sports game in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon, but the Royals beat the Guardians 3-2 to conclude their 2026 season, thanks for two homers from Vinnie Pasquantino.
The Royals got on the board in the bottom of the first, when Maikel Garcia led off with a walk, Jac Caglianone doubled to make it second and third with one out. Salvador Perez lined one into left for an RBI single, to make it 1-0. The Captain finishes the year with a 7-game hit streak.
The Guardians did respond though, with Daniel Schneemann hitting a solo homer in the 3rd.
In the bottom of the 5th, with two outs, Pasquantino launched a long homer to dead center field to make it 2-1 KC.
Again, the Guardians, scrappy like always, answered right back, with Jo Adell crushing a 440-foot solo shot off Daniel Lynch IV to tie it at 2. Lynch came out after one more batter. In his final start of the season, he went 5.1 innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, striking out 2.
Nolan Hoffman and Connor Thomas combined to through 2 scoreless innings, with Nate Pearson recording the last two outs of the 8th.
In the bottom half of that frame, Vinnie did it again, this time hooking one down the line, for his 17th homer on the season, to put the Royals in front 3-2.
Lucas Erceg got the 9th inning. He looked good again, striking out one and getting a pair of foul outs to third, with a two out single mixed in there. It was the 13th save on the season for Erceg.
The Royals end the season 69-93, with a record of 41-40 at home. They didn’t score a lot of runs this season..
Until next year… maybe… with the lockout looming, who knows? All I can really hope for is a better Royals team the next time they take the field.
