KANSAS CITY — In the first game of a crucial homestand before the All-Star break, the Royals powered up.
Three home runs from their three big boppers in the middle of the lineup helped the Royals to a series-opening 9-3 win over the Pirates at Kauffman Stadium on Monday night, beginning a six-game homestand in which Kansas City has a chance to battle back into the standings and help its status ahead of the Trade Deadline.
“I think after the break is when you kind of start evaluating yourself as a team in terms of the Deadline coming up, and I know nobody in this room has any interest in doing anything other than competing for the playoffs,” Vinnie Pasquantino said. “I think you try to not look too far ahead, but you know that this is a big week.
“We come in five games under [.500], and we have an opportunity to just play some good baseball ahead of the break and try to get the record in a good spot.”
But that all had to start with playing well on Monday.
The Royals wasted no time doing so, moving to 44-48 with their fourth win in the past five games.
Pasquantino, Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez all homered in the same game for the first time, driving in six of Kansas City’s nine runs. Nick Loftin added to the party with his own homer in the eighth.
Monday was the first game the Royals have hit multiple home runs at Kauffman Stadium since Aug. 25, 2024 (three home runs against the Phillies) — 56 games ago. That streak was the third longest in club history, trailing a 60-game drought from Sept. 30, 1980, to April 24, 1982, and a 57-game streak from June 24, 1974, to April 25, 1975.
“Hitting homers here at Kauffman is great,” Witt said.
The Royals haven’t been doing enough of it, regardless of the ballpark. Their 67 home runs after 92 games are the second fewest in the Majors, ahead of only the Pirates’ 62 homers. Kansas City’s .365 slugging percentage entering Monday ranked fourth worst in MLB; its .123 ISO and 82 wRC+ both ranked second worst.
The key to this offense clicking isn’t only mashing homers; the Royals need to be able to manufacture runs and be athletic on the bases as well as do damage.
But getting their big three hitters in sync like they were on Monday certainly helps them do that.
“It’s a recipe for success, that’s for sure,” Pasquantino said.
The Royals’ first baseman got them on the board in the first inning by winning a left-on-left battle with Pirates starter Andrew Heaney, turning on an inside fastball and sending it out to the far-right corner of the Royals’ bullpen for his 15th home run of the season.
Pasquantino was more enthused about the 95 mph exit velocity on his home run — “I couldn’t believe it,” he said — than hitting his third homer in four games, all of which have come off lefties.
After the Royals’ three-run third inning, Witt broke the game open in the fourth with his 13th home run of the year, an opposite-field shot that traveled a Statcast-projected 404 feet. And Perez added his 11th of the year in the fifth with a moonshot to left. Both hitters have homered on back-to-back days.
“Guys obviously attacking baseballs, lot of homers tonight, which is a lot of fun,” starter Noah Cameron said. “But there’s just good vibes when we score a bunch of runs like that.”
The barrage of runs backed Cameron’s strong start, with the rookie using a career-high 109 pitches across a career-high seven innings, only allowing two runs on three hits to earn his first win since May 28.
Once the calendar flips to July, the focus turns to the All-Star break and the Trade Deadline. General manager J.J. Picollo emphasized Monday afternoon that the goal come July 31 will be “to get better,” but whether that means for 2025 or ‘26 remains to be seen.
What is clear is that the Royals will be searching for offense — but any addition has to be complemented by the continued production of Kansas City’s core hitters.
Which is why every game leading up to the Deadline is so important. And why watching the Royals’ power trio get hot on a muggy night in July is just as key.
“Every game is different, every pitcher is different,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “But I mean, hopefully that builds confidence in these guys to understand that when they get a mistake pitch or have a good approach, they’ll get rewarded for it.”