How Royals’ playoff chances brightened in homestand capped by win vs. Texas
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- Royals completed 8-2 homestand, moving within 2 games of wild-card spot.
- Vinnie Pasquantino hit 5 homers, drove in 16 RBIs to set team homestand mark.
- Royals overtook Cleveland in AL Central standings after win over Rangers.
A Major League Baseball team’s season is rarely on the brink on Aug. 10, but that’s the date the Royals returned home following a stinging loss to the Minnesota Twins.
The Royals had let a win slip through their hands in the Twins Cities and were 4 games back in the American League wild-card race and third in the AL Central. A 10-game homestand lay before the Royals, and with it an opportunity to bolster their playoff chances.
The Royals did just that.
A 6-4 win over the Rangers on a wacky Thursday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium clinched a victory in the four-game series and capped an 8-2 homestand. The Royals, 66-62, are just 2 games behind the Mariners in the wild-card chase and leaped over Cleveland in the Central.
“We took care of business this homestand,” Pasquantino said. “So we needed that. ... It’s pretty strong. You’re focused on the day in front of us, but to come back here after that tough series in Minnesota and go 8-2, it’s what we needed to do and we did it. So now we move on. We got Detroit this weekend. We’ll be ready for it.”
Pasquantino led the way, continuing his torrid stretch with a fifth-inning home run — his career-best 26th of the year — that broke a 4-all tie. It was the fourth straight game in which Pasquantino homered, and he hit five during the homestand while batting .306 with 16 RBIs.
He was one of the day’s batting stars. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits, two stolen bases and an overturned homer that became a double on a weird play. He has a 10-game hitting streak.
Salvador Perez had a pair of hits and an RBI and Nick Loftin homered.
Vinnie Pasquantino’s record
Pasquantino set a Royals record with 16 RBIs in a 10-game homestand, although Raúl Ibañez holds the record for any homestand when he had 23 RBIs in 13 games in 2002.
Pasquantino is just the third player in Royals history to hit a home run in each game of a four-game series.
Perez did it from Aug. 26-29, 2021 at Seattle, and George Brett accomplished the feat on Aug. 23-26, 1985, also against the Rangers.
It seems a four-game series against an AL West opponent in August brings out the best in a Royals player.
Royals’ playoff odds
After losing to the Twins, the Royals’ postseason chances were at 6.1%, according to FanGraphs, while the Rangers were at 22.6%. Following the win Thursday, the Royals’ playoff odds are up to 26.7%, while the Rangers’ dropped to 7.8%.
Winning three of four from Texas was a key part of the homestand.
“That’s huge,” said starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who allowed four runs (three earned) in 4 1/3 innings. “And especially against Texas, you know, we were neck and neck as they were coming in. So that four-game series was a huge series, and for us to do what we did, is big time.”
The Royals hit 19 home runs in their last 10 games, tying the team record for homers on a homestand of any length. It was last done in 12 games from July 28-Aug. 7, 1997.
It also was the fourth time the Royals won eight times on a 10-game homestand. The others were in 1989, 1991 and 2015.
Up next
The Royals open a three-game series Friday in the Motor City. Ryan Bergert will start the opener for the Royals, while the Central-leading Detroit Tigers counter with Casey Mize. First pitch is at 6:10 p.m. and the game will be on Apple TV+.
This story was originally published August 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM.
