Vinnie Pasquantino atones for missed opportunity in Royals' win over Blue Jays

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Sep 6, 2026

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino had a game-altering opportunity slip through his grasp Saturday night.

In the eighth inning, Pasquantino grounded into a double play with the Royals trailing by a run to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Royals ultimately came up short as the Blue Jays took the series outright with Saturday’s win.

Pasquantino finished 0 for 4. However, he didn’t waste time atoning for his mistakes.

“I’m a professional,” Pasquantino said. “Like things aren’t going to bother me day to day. Was last night my favorite day of the year? No. You know, there were some opportunities there, and didn’t come through. But, you go out there and try to make something happen. If it doesn’t happen, I know I was prepared and ready to go.”

Pasquantino came out swinging Sunday against Blue Jays starter Spencer Arrighetti. Pasquantino belted a three-run homer as the Royals won 6-1 at Kauffman Stadium.

It was Pasquantino’s 11th home run this season. Since July 3, he has reached safely in 32 of 39 games while helping pace the offense.

“It’s kind of trying to erase the past a little bit and just focusing where your feet are,” Pasquantino said of his mentality at the plate. “And (just) trying to go compete because that’s all you can do is get to the next one.”

After Pasquantino’s home run, The Royals (64-80) tackle on three more runs. In the third inning, Kansas City captain Salvador Perez hit his 322nd career home run. It was a two-run shot that extended the Kansas City lead to 5-0.

Nick Loftin added an RBI single as the lead ballooned to six runs.

“Yeah, it was pretty good,” Perez said. “Tried to do our job. Hit the ball hard and tried to score some runs on the other pitcher.”

Arrighetti took the loss. He allowed all six runs in 4 2/3 innings while surrendering at least one home run in four consecutive starts.

The run support aided Royals starter Randy Dobnak. After allowing a season-high six earned runs in his last start, Dobnak was in complete control Sunday afternoon.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a unique situation because I just faced these guys a week-and-a-half ago,” Dobnak said. “But, the game plan was pretty much very similar to what it was. And I was able to kind of mix and match my pitches, keep them off balance a little bit. “And when I feel behind, kind of just got back into the count. When I was ahead, you know, execute some good pitches, execute what I want to do and let the defense do the work.”

Dobnak worked efficiently around the plate. He recorded eight groundouts and registered three strikeouts across six innings. The Blue Jays (72-72) did minimal damage while posting one run on four hits during his start.

In the sixth, Blue Jays infielder Josh Smith tagged Dobnak with a solo homer. However, Dobnak worked around the blemish and finished his outing on a high note. He generated a 1-4-3 groundout to end the frame with a quality start.

“He got ahead of guys and it’s pretty simple,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “The fact that he was ahead, and the sinker, they were hitting it into the ground with soft contact. The defense played really well.”

Dobnak has allowed one run or fewer in seven of his 10 starts with the Royals. And he has had six outings with at least four scoreless innings during the span.

This season, the Royals own a 4-3 record when Dobnak makes a pitching appearance at Kauffman Stadium.

“He’s been great, and he fits right into this team,” Pasquantino said of Dobnak. “He sinks it, he slides it, he sweeps it. He does all of it. Yeah, he does everything for this team. He’s been a great addition. He’s great in the clubhouse, and it’s cool to take the field with him.”

The Blue Jays logged eight hits in the game. Royals relievers Anthony Gose and Jose Cuas navigated potential trouble in the seventh inning. From there, the Royals turned to promising hurlers Connor Thomas and Nolan Hoffman to shut the door.

What’s next

Royals left-handed starter Noah Cameron (9-8, 4.08 ERA) will start Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. First pitch is set for 2:10 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium.

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