Royals rock Blue Jays' Scherzer, roll to 20-1 rout

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Sep 19, 2025

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals celebrated their future stars on Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium.

Ahead of first pitch, Royals prospects David Shields and Carson Roccaforte were among those dressed in luxury suits to receive their organizational awards. It was also a chance for them to mingle with the current big leaguers.

Rookie Carter Jensen was one of the top prospects honored. He received the 2025 George Brett Hitter of the Year Award — in his full Royals uniform — after posting a .290 batting average with 20 home runs and 76 RBIs in the minors.

And the reason he was already in his game attire?

Well, Jensen was penciled into the leadoff spot for the first time in his Major League Baseball career. It was a move Royals manager Matt Quatraro made with full confidence against future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.

“We feel really good about how he controls the (strike) zone, how he understands himself and how he puts up really quality at-bats,” Quatraro said before Friday night’s game. “He is swinging the bat extremely well. It gets him one more at-bat and one more crack at it when the lineup turns over.”

Jensen didn’t waste time in his new role. He hit a leadoff double — one of three doubles for Jensen in the game — off Scherzer in the first inning. Jensen became the second player in franchise history to have a three-double performance within his first 12 games.

The Royals’ offense followed right behind him. KC scored seven first-inning runs en route to a 20-1 victory over the Blue Jays.

The Royals chased Scherzer, the former Missouri Tigers pitcher, from the game after just two-thirds of an inning. The Royals were aggressive early as six consecutive hitters reached to begin the game.

Here is how the first inning went:

After Jensen’s double, superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. drove him home with an RBI single. Then Witt scored on first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino’s double.

This paved the way for third baseman Maikel Garcia to draw a walk before Royals captain Salvador Perez belted a three-run homer off Scherzer. It was Perez’s 30th home run this season — the 303rd of his career — and the fourth off his longtime rival.

The Royals took a 5-1 lead. However, the offense was far from finished.

Adam Frazier continued the hit parade. He singled and later scored on Michael Massey’s two-run homer over the right-field wall. Scherzer was removed from the game — having allowed the seven runs — and the Royals batted around in the frame.

The offensive outburst came at a good time. The Royals aren’t mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but they can’t lose another game. And they have struggled this season to consistently drive in runs against quality teams like Toronto, owner of the AL’s best record.

Friday’s game showed how dangerous the Royals can be. And no matter what happens in this year’s playoff race, it’s a reminder of the kind of team KC is capable of being in 2026.

Royals offense: By the numbers

The Royals logged a club-record 27 hits against the Blue Jays. Every starter reached base and contributed in some fashion throughout the game, and KC batted around twice.

Pasquantino had four hits. In the third inning, he began another mini-scoring outburst with an RBI single. Massey finished with two hits and a walk. He has fared well since returning from the injured list.

Jac Caglianone also got in on the fun with a three-run homer off Blue Jays position player-turned-pitcher Tyler Heineman in the seventh inning.

The Royals scored all 20 runs after the Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the first. Toronto slugger George Springer, who celebrated his 36th birthday on Friday, hit a leadoff home run off Royals starter Michael Lorenzen.

Lorenzen surrendered nothing else. He completed an efficient 7 2/3 innings to earn his sixth victory of the season.

With the win, the Royals returned to .500 with a record of 77-77. They need to win five of their last eight games to finish 2025 with a winning record.

Royals injury updates

The Royals placed top reliever Lucas Erceg on the 15-day injured list with right-shoulder impingement syndrome.

Erceg will miss the remainder of the regular season. He finishes the year with a 2.64 ERA in 61 appearances. In his stead, the Royals reinstated Steven Cruz from the injured list.

Additionally, the Royals got an encouraging report on right-handed starting pitcher Ryan Bergert. An MRI revealed that Bergert has a mild flexor strain and the Royals are confident he should be healthy for the start of spring training.

What’s next?

The Royals continue their final home series on Saturday night. Rookie starter Noah Cameron (8-7, 2.98 ERA) will start against Blue Jays righty Shane Bieber (3-1, 3.72 ERA) at Kauffman Stadium.