Pasquantino’s pair of pokes powers potentates, prevailing 8-4

Vinnie hit two of Kansas City’s four two-run homers.

The Kansas City Royals couldn’t stop hitting home runs as they demolished the Chicago Cubs 8-4 this afternoon at Wrigley Field.

The game started interestingly when leadoff man Adam Frazier hit a flyball deep down the right field line. I heard somebody yell “CAN OF CORN” on the broadcast a second before the ball clanked off Seiya Suzuki’s glove and hit the turf, giving Frazier a quasi-double. Maikel Garcia then bunted him over to third. The Cubs broadcast would later bemoan the decision of Kansas City’s OBP leader willingly getting himself out just to move a runner up, and Vinnie Pasquantino wasted no time rendering that bunt moot, crushing the first pitch he saw deep to right for a no-doubt homer. Just five pitches into the game, Kansas City was ahead 2-0. Salvador Perez followed by also swinging at the first pitch, ripping a single to left to keep the inning rolling, but the next two batters were retired to end the inning.

Chicago got on the board against Seth Lugo in the second. Ian Happ walked to lead off the inning and Dansby Swanson hit a grounder up the middle that Garcia gloved but had no play on. Lugo got two outs on a nifty 5-4-3 double play started by Tyler Tolbert, but Reese McGuire knocked a single through the right side to give the Cubs a run. Lugo was able to keep the damage to one.

Kansas City struck back in the third. With one out, Pasquantino ripped a liner into the right-center field gap that went all the way to the wall for a double. Perez then worked the count full before golfing a down-and-in fastball into left field. He didn’t hit it especially hard but caught it at the perfect launch angle to send it into the bleachers for a two-run homer that gave the Royals a 4-1 lead. Per the Cubs broadcast, at 95.1 mph, it was the softest hit home run of the 2025 season so far.

The scoring continued in the bottom of the inning. Lugo plunked Michael Busch to lead off the frame. He got the next two outs before Carson Kelly crushed a ball deep to left field. He just missed a home run, settling for a double that scored Busch to make it a 4-2 game.

How about another Royals two-run homer? With one out in the fifth, Garcia tomahawked a high fastball into center for a single. He stole second as Pasquantino battled with Rea. Pasquantino worked the count full before getting a hanging curveball on the seventh pitch of the at-bat. He didn’t miss it, crushing it into the right field bleachers for his second homer of the afternoon.

Remember a few paragraphs ago when I said Perez hit the softest home run of the season? That record did not last long. With two outs in the sixth, Kyle Isbel was plunked. That brought up Tyler Tolbert to face Drew Pomeranz, who had relieved Rea to start the inning. Tolbert got a high-and-tight fastball and turned on it, pulling it into the wind and into the left field bleachers for yet another two-run homer. Tolbert’s first career homer left the bat at just 94.2 and put the Royals ahead 8-2.

In the seventh, Lugo gave way to the bullpen. Steven Cruz was the first man up. He gave up a homer to Matt Shaw that made it 8-3, but it could have been worse; Nico Hoerner had reached with a leadoff single but was promptly erased on a double play. It was John Schreiber’s turn for the eighth. He wasn’t the only new player to enter for that inning as Jonathan India’s day off was interrupted when Tolbert departed the game with an apparent hamstring injury. India was brought in as a defensive replacement. Schreiber also allowed a solo homer, this one to Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Lucas Erceg was summoned for the ninth inning. Unlike the prior two relievers, he did not surrender a solo homer. In fact, he didn’t surrender anything at all, retiring the side in order to secure the 8-4 victory.

The win improves the Royals to 50-53 and gives them the series victory. They will have the day off tomorrow to head back to Kansas City for a three-game set this weekend against Cleveland.

Seth Lugo: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

Colin Rea: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 3 HR

Vinnie Pasquantino: 3-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB

Pete Crow-Armstrong: 1-4, HR, R, RBI