KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Vinnie Pasquantino gave Royals fans a powerful performance on Opening Day.
Pasquantino hit a three-run homer and added a double but it wasn’t enough as the Royals lost 7-4 in 10 innings to the Guardians on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd of 39,393.
“Kansas City showed out today,” Pasquantino said. “Now we’ve got to do a better job of showing out for them.”
Pasquantio did his part, hitting a three-run homer in the third off starter Ben Lively to give the Royals the lead then hitting a leadoff double in the ninth that eventually led to a run to send the game into extras.
Pasquantino served as the designated hitter with Cavan Biggio getting the start at first. Pasquantino strained a hamstring at the end of spring training, and with the off-day Friday, the Royals thought it’d be best to give him an extra half day’s rest.
“We’re not where we are in that game without Vinnie,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “A three-run homer and a double. I thought he put a good swing on the ball when he lined out or flew out to left as well. So all in all, it was a really good day for him at the plate.”
However, it was not a good day for the Royals on basepaths. Trailing 4-3 in the eighth, the Royals had pinch-runner Dairon Blanco at third and Kyle Isbel at first with no outs. Jonathan India hit a grounder to third, and Blanco took off for home on contact. That eventually led to a long rundown where Blanco ran back toward third and was tagged out, and Isbel was tagged out between second and third.
“Blanco in retrospect, he should just keep going so they only get the one out,” Quatraro said. “That’s the reason you go on a hard-hit ball because you know they’re going to get one instead of two. And Isbel was trying to make an effort play to get to third so we could have second and third, but they executed there as well.”
Making his second consecutive Opening Day start, Cole Ragans pitched 5-plus innings, allowing three runs on five hits and three strikeouts with two walks. The Guardians, though, scored three runs (two earned) in the 10th against Royals reliever Sam Long to complete the comeback.
UP NEXT
Royals right-hander Seth Lugo will make his first start of the season when the two teams play at 3:10 p.m. Saturday. The Guardians haven’t announced their starter.
