How Vinnie Pasquantino snapped his early-season slump against the Houston Astros
Vinnie Pasquantino was due for a nice slumber. The last few nights hadn’t been kind to the Kansas City Royals first baseman.
“The happiest person is probably going to be my wife,” he said Wednesday night, “because I probably won’t be tossing and turning all night. I’d imagine I’ll sleep a little bit better.”
Pasquantino earned the solid rest by breaking out of an early-season slump against the Houston Astros. He propelled the Royals to an 11-2 victory on Wednesday, mrecording a career-high five RBIs.
The Royals improved to 8-4 this season and Pasquantino hit his first home run of the 2024 campaign. His batting average shot up 67 points (from .108 to .175) as he finished 3-for-3.
“I feel like tonight I was in a good spot ...” he said. “There were plenty of times I felt good and the results weren’t there. Tonight, they were. (I’m) ready to get back after it tomorrow.”
Pasquantino returned from shoulder surgery this season. He missed significant time last year due to the injury.
His search for rhythm at the plate resulted in some frustrating moments because he wanted to contribute.
On Wednesday, he was able to release some of that built-up tension.
“(Heck) yeah, some frustration set in for me ...” Pasquantino said. “It doesn’t matter when you are winning and that’s something we haven’t been able to say around here the past two years since I’ve been here. It doesn’t (freaking) matter when you are winning. That’s all that matters.
“And it doesn’t matter who the guy is that night or whatever. We’ve got plenty of guys and that’s what we need. We are 8-4. Who gives a (crap)? We’re winning games.”
The Royals are indeed doing that. They have won six consecutive now, the longest current streak in Major League Baseball. The lineup has been red-hot, with multiple players clicking at the same time.
The Royals’ starting rotation, meanwhile, has compiled nine quality starts and a 1.97 combined ERA through 12 games.
Pasquantino has the talent to elevate the offense. He battled the Astros’ pitching throughout the game. In the third inning, he hit his first extra-base hit of the season.
It was a ringing two-run double to give the Royals a 2-0 lead.
Later, he fought off 10 pitches from Astros reliever Brandon Bielak. He saw eight changeups before belting a solo home run. The blast sailed 389 feet and was his first homer since May 22, 2023 against the Detroit Tigers.
“We really feel Vinnie is a really quality major-league hitter,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He played in 10 games prior to tonight and that’s a really, really small sample. He’s done it at this level before and we know he is going to continue to do it.”
The Royals will look to sweep the Astros on Thursday. KC has outscored Houston by 10 runs in this series and has won seven of the clubs’ eight head-to-head matchups dating to last season.
Pasquantino hopes to build upon his sparkling Wednesday night performance, but he knows Thursday will be another test.
“I’m ready to flip the page and get to tomorrow,” he said. “Tonight doesn’t mean anything towards tomorrow. It’s just go back out there and try to have good at-bats.”
