Jac Caglianone shares story behind ‘Italian’ celebration with Vinnie Pasquantino
You’d be forgiven for not remembering the George Kottaras Era in Royals history.
Kottaras, a catcher, appeared in a mere 46 games for the Royals during the 2013 season, but at one point he had a Greek flag in his locker. His stall was next to star third baseman Mike Moustakas, so it was the Greek spot in the Royals’ clubhouse.
Fast-forward a dozen years and, while flags are not present, there is now an Italian neighborhood in the Royals’ clubhouse. The inhabitants? First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and rookie Jac Caglianone.
Those two debuted a new home-run celebration Tuesday in the Royals’ dugout after Caglianone hit his first home run at Kauffman Stadium.
So what’s the story behind that?
“Just Italians being Italians,” Caglianone said Wednesday with a smile after the Royals beat the Pirates 4-3.
Caglianone blasted a 466-foot home run Wednesday, and the Italian celebration happened again in the dugout.
This wasn’t an impromptu thing, either.
“He joked about it a while ago in St. Louis, so glad it came to fruition finally,” Caglianone said of Pasquantino, who will represent Italy in next year’s World Baseball Classic.
Caglianone made his big-league debut in St. Louis last month. He said the potential celebratory move was discussed on either the first or second day he was at Busch Stadium.
It’s a fun one and Royals fans hope to see it happen a lot more this summer.
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 10:42 AM.
