Jac Caglianone’s MLB debut was quiet. The Royals made sure it ended with a win
There is an old baseball adage that says hitting is contagious. The Kansas City Royals haven’t hit much this season, but Tuesday’s game might have served as a nice antidote.
The Royals overcame an early deficit against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Royals starter Michael Lorenzen was chased in the third inning. He allowed seven earned runs and a pair of home runs.
Lorenzen now sports a 5.12 ERA this season — while the Royals could consider a rotation shakeup. But on Tuesday, the Royals found a way to pick up their crestfallen teammate in a 10-7 victory.
And they did so with a vengeance.
“I feel like that’s kind of who we are,” Bobby Witt Jr. said. “It’s what we are capable of doing and it’s just one of those things where you are waiting for it to happen.”
The Royals battered the Cardinals in the fifth inning. Nick Loftin kicked off a six-run frame with a solo home run to left field. It was his second career homer and first since June 18, 2024, against the Athletics.
Loftin set the tone for the inning. The Royals followed suit with four consecutive singles as Bobby Witt Jr. added to his RBI total. Witt, who homered in the second inning, added his third and fourth RBIs of the game.
The Royals cut into the deficit. They trailed 7-5 before Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez came through in a clutch moment. Both players have struggled with runners in scoring position this season, but that wasn’t the case Tuesday.
“Lorenzen was doing a pretty good job, just bad start for him today,” Perez said. “We got his back and just play hard until the last out.”
Pasquantino belted a two-run double into the center-field gap and Perez drove him home to complete the comeback.
The Royals batted around in the fifth inning. They added two more runs to continue their offensive onslaught in the sixth.
“I know what this team can do and I’ve seen it before,” Loftin said. “We’ve got a lot of great hitters on this team that can supply a lot of runs. What you saw in that inning was a snippet of what we can do.
“... I know that’s the biggest thing for us is being able to get that guy in from third. It’s our biggest issue and we have been struggling with it all season. So that was really huge for us.”
It was a complete turnaround from their previous two games. KC scored just one run in their final 18 innings against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium.
For the game, eight of the nine Royals registered a hit. Jac Caglianone, who made his MLB debut on Tuesday, went hitless in five plate appearances.
The Royals offense flashed its potential once again. The key will be more consistency as the club tries to regain its footing in the American League Central race.
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Here are more notable aspects from Tuesday’s game:
Jac Caglianone receives MLB welcome
There was a nice ovation when Caglianone stepped to the plate in the second inning.
A sizable gathering of Royals fans made the three-and-a-half hour trip from Kansas City to Busch Stadium to watch his first MLB game. Fans lined up early and made signs to catch a glimpse of the future star.
“That was awesome and something that I will definitely remember forever,” Caglianone said. “Can’t really thank the people enough for coming out like that and showing their support.”
Caglianone showed his raw power throughout his five at-bats against the Cardinals. He was robbed of an extra-base hit by Victor Scott II in center field and Nolan Arenado took away another hit.
Caglianone, who hit sixth in the lineup as the designated hitter, didn’t look rattled in any of his plate appearances. He put the baseball in play and nearly came away with a few nice highlights in the box score.
“You know, I think going up for my first AB I felt really comfortable,” Caglianone said. “Faced some good pitches and hit them both pretty well. No cigar. Victor Scott is pretty good out there so made a great play. I felt really good.”
Just take a look at his exit velocities: 98.4 mph (2nd inning), 112.1 mph (5th), 96.9 mph (6th), 65.3 mph (7th) and 113.9 mph (9th).
The only thing he was missing: his first hit.
What’s next: The Royals continue the I-70 series against the Cardinals. Rookie sensation Noah Cameron (2-1, 1.05 ERA) draws the start against right-hander Miles Mikolas (4-2, 3.90 ERA).
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 9:55 PM.
