By MATT PIKE
2026 was not the season the Kansas City Royals hoped for, but they closed it out with a bright spot.
Vinnie Pasquantino homered twice and the Royals snapped a three-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium in the regular season finale for both teams. The Royals won for just the seventh time in September, finishing last in the AL Central with 13 fewer wins than last season's third-place finish.
Kansas City opened the scoring in the first inning. Maikel Garcia walked and with two outs Jac Caglianone doubled before Salvador Perez’s RBI single put the Royals ahead 1-0 scoring Garcia. Kansas City scored a first-inning run in seven of their final 10 games. Daniel Schneeman led off the third inning with a solo home run off Daniel Lynch to tie the game for the Guardians. Following Schneeman's home run, it became a game of homers, as Pasquantino hit his first home run in the fifth inning giving Kansas City the 2-1 lead.
In the sixth with one out, Jo Adell tied the game again for the Guardians with a solo home run of his own off Lynch, and after Nathaniel Lowe singled, Lynch's day would be done on the mound. The season finale marked a nice bounce back for Lynch, who in his previous start allowed a career worst nine runs to the Chicago White Sox. Lynch threw 5.1 innings giving up seven hits and two runs while striking out two before being replaced by Nolan Hoffman.
After Connor Thomas threw a scoreless seventh inning and recorded one out in the eighth, Nate Peterson took the mound and recorded the final two outs. Peterson would end up earning the win, improving to 3-4 on the season, after Pasquantino led off the bottom of the eighth with his second solo home run of the game, then in the ninth inning Lucas Erceg struck out one and earned his 13th save.
At the plate, Pasquantino was 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs. Kyle Isbel was also 2-for-4 on the day. Caglianone was 2-for-4 with a double while Perez was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Garcia was 1-for-2 with a run scored and two walks. Royals’ attendance at Kauffman Stadium was 1,504,231, an average of 18,802, more than 3,000 per game fewer than in 2025.
As the MLB playoffs begin, the Guardians on Saturday will host the winner of the Houston Astros/Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox winner from the wild-card round.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.