Home, sweet home: How Royals’ superstars powered series-opening win vs. Pirates
.jpg "Vinnie Pasquantino (from left), Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez all homered against the Pittsburgh Pirates during a Monday, July 7, 2025 Major League Baseball game at Kauffman Stadium.")
If the Kansas City Royals want to achieve their postseason aspirations, their second-half turnaround will start with three names: Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez.
That trio carried the Royals last season. Witt finished second in the American League MVP race, Perez won a Silver Slugger Award and Pasquantino hammered out 19 home runs and 97 RBIs before a thumb injury cost him the final month of the season.
Those three players are the key elements of the Royals’ offense. And now it seems they are clicking together at the right time again.
“It’s a good recipe for success, that’s for sure,” Pasquantino said.
Each homered against the Pittsburgh Pirates to open a homestand Monday night at Kauffman Stadium. Pasquantino gave the Royals a two-run lead in the first inning. Witt followed with a two-run homer in the fourth.
And Perez added another for good measure in the fifth. He blasted a 411-foot shot that landed in the shrubbery adjacent to the left-field bleachers.
It’s the first time that Witt, Pasquantino and Perez homered in the same game, and it propelled the Royals to a 9-3 victory over the Pirates.
“That’s who our team is and that’s who we are,” Witt said of multiple players contributing to the win. “And so it’s just everyone doing their part and doing their job. It’s great to see whenever it all clicks.”
Before the game, Witt — who finished 2-for-3 — announced that he won’t take part in the All-Star Home Run Derby on Tuesday, July 14 at Truist Park in Atlanta.
And then he showcased why he received a second straight All-Star nod. He has homered in consecutive games and now has six RBIs in his last five outings.
Witt’s hot stretch has run concurrently with Perez’s. Monday was the 13th time those two have homered in the same game. The last time came just one day prior, on Sunday afternoon at the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Perez added an RBI double and is now up to 11 home runs and 52 RBIs this year. In all, the Royals clubbed four homers Monday — Nick Loftin also sent one over the fence.
“It provides an instant spark, multiple runs at a time ...” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s inspiring to see it and it’s nice because you know how hard these guys have been working.”
The Royals scored nine runs and it was plenty for starting pitcher Noah Cameron. The St. Joseph native allowed two runs on three hits across a career-high seven innings. His lone mistake was an 85.7 mph cutter to Pirates outfielder (and former Royal) Tommy Pham in the third inning.
Pham belted that pitch for a two-run homer to give Pittsburgh a brief lead. From there, Cameron settled in and allowed just one hit during the remainder of his start.
“I kept telling them I’ll go seven innings one of these days,” Cameron said. “So we struggled to get there this year, but him (Quatraro) letting me finish that means a lot to me, for sure.”
The Royals (44-48) earned their fifth win in their last seven games. It was also their first victory at home this month after dropping 19 of their last 23 at The K.
“We won a game at home last time, but it felt good to really get one there in the first game of a series,” Pasquantino said. “To come out early and score the way we did — and to respond the way we did — after Tommy hit that homer for them, I thought that was really nice.”
Noah Cameron dominates Pirates
Cameron recorded another quality start against the Pirates. He overcame the early home run and navigated the Pittsburgh lineup efficiently.
The Royals rookie recorded seven strikeouts and scattered three hits.
“I think it’s just trusting myself, trusting the catcher and trusting our game plan going into the game,” Cameron said. “When I struggle it’s because I’m throwing balls and getting behind in counts. So I think that’s a big thing moving forward with getting back into the strike zone.”
In the second inning, Cameron induced a double play to erase a leadoff walk. He finished his night by throwing a scoreless seventh.
This season, Cameron has allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his 11 starts. He threw a career-high 109 pitches Monday. His 2.56 ERA is the best in franchise history through 11 starts.
“The game dictated a little more of a runway to do it,” Quatraro said. “And he got better as the game went on.”
What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game series against the Pirates on Tuesday. KC right-hander Seth Lugo (6-5, 2.65 ERA) will start opposite right-hander Mitch Keller (3-10, 3.64 ERA) at Kauffman Stadium.
This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 9:21 PM.
