Why Patrick Mahomes made a guest appearance at The K — and how it all unfolded
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jac Caglianone debuted before 30,017 fans in a 10-2 Royals loss to Yankees.
- Patrick Mahomes and Reggie Jackson were among the big names in the crowd.
- Aaron Judge hit a 469-foot homer and offered advice for Caglianone's rookie journey.
In one of the most anticipated home debuts in Kansas City Royals history, Jac Caglianone held the weight of the fan base on his broad shoulders.
There aren’t many to command 30,017 fans at Kauffman Stadium on a Tuesday night — not to mention Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Yet Caglianone’s arrival and a high-stakes matchup against the New York Yankees did the trick.
The Royals need Caglianone to be good. Major League Baseball wants him to be a future star. And Royals fans need something to cheer about.
The convergence happened Tuesday. Caglianone received a standing ovation as he stepped to the plate for the first time at Kauffman Stadium. It was a sense of acknowledgment that he’d hoped for leading up to the night.
“Really cool to hear the crowd react the way that they did,” Caglianone said. “You know, it’s a super warm welcome. I’m thankful for everyone that was a part of it. It was pretty cool to see Pat Mahomes there. That was great.”
Caglianone went 1-for-4 with an RBI. The Royals lost 10-2 to the Yankees in the series opener.
The loss certainly stings, but this night was about Caglianone. The future arrived in Kansas City with renewed optimism of things to come.
And in front of some big names, too.
“I was kind of itching for it,” Caglianone said. “I didn’t want the day off. I was just ready to roll. I wanted to play in front of these people and these fans. And I’m glad it snuck up on me.”
Patrick Mahomes, other stars at The K
Fans lined up early to get a glimpse at Caglianone. The parking lot was full of screaming Royals fans waiting for the gates to open.
Caglianone followed his normal pregame routine. He went through outfield drills and participated in batting practice.
There were cheers throughout the night. Fans yelled when his name was announced on the jumbotron and whenever he was shown on the screen.
And the celebrities arrived in style.
Kansas City Chiefs megastar Patrick Mahomes was in the building. He was joined by former Royals standouts Billy Butler and George Brett. Even Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson, was in town.
“My second to last (at-bat), I just looked over and kind of smiled,” Caglianone said. “I was like, ‘I’ve got to do something cool.’ And then I kind of rolled over.”
Caglianone did do something cool later in the night (more on that in a minute).
There was another celebrity sighting: Yankees fan Alfonso Ribeiro made an appearance. He did his famous shuffle that his character Carlton portrayed on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
All the fanfare was a welcome distraction from the game.
The Royals fell behind early after Aaron Judge hit a 469-foot blast that landed atop the outfield scoreboard in left field.
Royals rookie starter Noah Cameron allowed six earned runs in 5 ⅔ innings. Yankees catcher Austin Wells hit a homer and posted five RBIs.
“Obviously, a little adversity,” Cameron said. “Kind of facing adversity for the first time, I thought honestly the stuff was probably better than it has been all year. Just didn’t execute two pitches.”
Jonathan India hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. It was his third this season as he joined Caglianone in the scorebook.
“It was a long at-bat again,” India said. “I was seeing him well all night. I was just hunting something in the middle.”
Caglianone jerseys on display
Royals fans also got their first chance to grab a Caglianone jersey. The team store had his No. 14 readily available to purchase.
There were different varieties available, and fans can also grab the jersey online at the MLB Shop.
Other fans decided to create their unique jerseys.
There were several different iterations, like a custom “Jac-Tani” ensemble that honored Caglianone and MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Caglianone also made a nice diving catch at first base to rob Jasson Domínguez in the ninth inning. He moved to first after a defensive switch earlier in the frame.
He added a single in the bottom half to conclude his night.
Aaron Judge weighs in
Prior to hitting his mammoth home run, Judge spoke exclusively with The Star about the challenges Caglianone could face as a generational superstar.
He provided some sage advice to the Royals phenom. Both players have dealt with high expectations. Judge continues to exceed them with flying colors while Caglianone is off to a memorable start.
“He’s got a lot of hype and expectations on his shoulders and he’s handled it so well,” Judge said. “I think he has two guys in his corner that will be good sounding boards.”
It took a while for Judge to reach the big leagues. Caglianone is here now and learning on the fly.
So far, he hasn’t looked out of place. And that bodes well for the Royals moving forward.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM.
