Vinnie Pasquantino delivers in Royals' 2-0 victory against Astros

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Apr 26, 2025

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Vinnie Pasquantino knew it as soon as it left his bat. The Kansas City Royals first baseman recognized the sound.

A loud thwack reverberated through Kauffman Stadium.

Royals fans leapt to their feet and tracked the baseball, which traveled 412 feet — well beyond the right-field wall. And it propelled the Royals to a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros.

Pasquantino admired his handiwork for a brief moment before rounding the bases.

It had been a difficult stretch for him. Pasquantino entered Saturday’s game with a .184 average and one extra-base hit in his last 17 games.

Lefties were especially tough. Pasquantino had just three hits against left-handed starters this season.

In recent games, Royals manager Matt Quatraro slid Pasquantino down in the order. He batted seventh against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez on Saturday.

Valdez is one of the better ground-ball pitchers in the league. In the fifth inning, Valdez greeted Pasquantino with an 88.2-mph change-up. The pitch was thrown toward the inside part of the plate.

But not far enough.

Pasquantino dropped his bat on the change-up. The home run generated a 108.4-mph exit velocity. It was also the Royals’ 13th homer of the 2025 campaign. KC has the fewest home run total in the majors.

The Royals (14-14) shut out the Astros for the second consecutive night. The club has won six consecutive games and clinched a second series this homestand.

Here are more notable aspects of Saturday’s game:

Wacha adds quality start

The Royals registered three hits against the Astros on Saturday. The offense scratched across two runs to aid Michael Wacha on the mound.

Wacha didn’t mind. He followed suit behind teammate Seth Lugo with seven shutout innings of his own. The Astros (13-13) were held to six hits.

Wacha pitched out of trouble to record a quality start. He worked around a single and walk in the sixth inning. He struck out first baseman Christian Walker with his slider and made a terrific defensive play to cover first base.

Wacha relied on his fastball to get ahead of hitters. The heater generated 13 swings and three whiffs, per Baseball Savant. The slider had good life as it was primarily used against right-handed batters.

Wacha departed in the seventh inning. He allowed four hits, walked two batters and registered six strikeouts en route to his first victory this season.

What’s next?

The Royals conclude their weekend series against the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon. KC lefty Kris Bubic (2-1, 1.45 ERA) will start against Astros standout Hunter Brown (3-1, 1.16 ERA) at Kauffman Stadium.