Royals hammer 3 homers, beat Tigers in series opener

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Aug 21, 2026

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel had a special bat awaiting him at Kauffman Stadium on Friday night.

Isbel took delivery of an assortment of custom items for MLB Players’ Weekend. And chief among those items was a Buzz Lightyear bat — from the iconic “Toy Story” movie franchise.

Buzz Lightyear is a beloved character. For three decades, the cartoon superhero has endeared himself to generations — including Isbel’s son, Lane.

Isbel honored Lane in the best way he could on Friday: He homered with the Buzz Lightyear bat in the Royals’ 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

In the fifth inning, Isbel hit a 93.8-mph fastball off Tigers starter Troy Melton. The baseball traveled “to infinity and beyond,” you might say, over the right-field wall.

It was Isbel’s fifth home run this season. The solo blast doubled the Royals’ lead, offering left-handed starting pitcher Noah Cameron additional run support.

Cameron didn’t need much help. He continued his dominant stretch against the Tigers with five shutout innings. In his last six appearances, he has yielded just five runs across 42 2/3 innings.

The Tigers registered just two hits against Cameron. He faced 20 batters while issuing three walks and striking out two. He relied on his cutter against right-handed hitters, generating a 19% called strike plus whiff rate, per Baseball Savant.

The Royals built a 3-0 advantage. In the sixth, Vinnie Pasquantino hit his eighth home run — a 420-foot blast. After the Tigers scored two runs in the seventh, KC catcher Carter Jensen added a solo homer of his own.

Jensen turned around an 88.2-mph cutter, sending the baseball over the center-field wall.

The Royals (56-74) hit three homers traveling 1,250 feet combined. The long balls helped KC extend its winning streak to a season-high six games.

Cameron earned his eighth victory. Overall, the Royals’ pitching staff held the Tigers to six hits in the series opener.

Isbel finished 2 for 4 Friday. His RBI double sealed the Royals’ victory in the eighth inning.

Detroit dropped to 61-67. Zack McKinstry and Kevin McGonigle drove in Detroit’s runs, while Melton took the loss. He came in having allowed three or more runs in a start just twice this season.

What’s next?

Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (6-8, 3.58 ERA) will start Saturday night’s game opposite Tigers right-hander Drew Anderson (4-4, 4.01 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:15 p.m. Central Time at Kauffman Stadium.