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Vinnie Pasquantino smashes 2 home runs as Royals win season finale vs. Guardians
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- Vinnie Pasquantino smashes 2 home runs as Royals win season finale vs. Guardians
The Kansas City Royals concluded their 2026 season on a high note.
After a disappointing campaign that fell far short of expectations, the Royals sent their fans home with a victory — and questions awaiting answers.
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The Royals must address their pitching this offseason. Their starting rotation was ravaged with injuries and the bullpen was leaky beyond repair. The Royals blew 44 games after taking the lead in 2026.
It almost happened again against the Guardians. The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning behind Salvador Perez 's RBI single before Vinnie Pasquantino hammered a pair of solo home runs .
Pasquantino's homer in the eighth broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Royals a 3-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
"I think we just gotta be ready to go come opening day," Pasquantino said. "Yeah, everybody have good offseasons, get ready to go in spring. And then, be ready to go next year. Today was a good win, but I don't know how much that'll mean toward next year."
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Pasquantino hit safely in 47 of his last 56 games. He also found a groove on the final homestand with three homers and nine RBIs.
And in September, Pasquantino has hit eight homers in 23 games.
"Vinnie coming back from the injury, the second time, he's been Vinnie," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "You know, that's what he expects for himself and that's what we expect. He holds himself to a really high standard and for him to do that today and help us win the last game of the year was really important."
The Guardians continued to hang around in Sunday afternoon's season finale.
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Cleveland also belted two homers — by Daniel Schneemann and Jo Adell — to tie the game at 2 in the sixth. Adell hit a no-doubt 440-foot shot into the left-center fountains off Royals starter Daniel Lynch IV, effectively knocking Lynch from the game.
Lynch threw 5 1/3 innings in his final start. He surrendered seven hits while striking out two batters. It was a nice rebound effort after he allowed nine earned runs in his previous start against the Chicago White Sox .
"I was happy with it," Lynch said. "I was happy I was able to eat up some innings and pitch into the sixth.
"I was hoping to get a quality start there and finish off the sixth, but I put the team in a position to win. I'm just happy to close the book on an interesting season, and just prepare for next year."
Kansas City Royals pitcher Daniel Lynch IV (41) pitches during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium on Sep 27, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Lynch heads into the offseason with momentum. He thrived as a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen earlier this season. His uneven performance as a starter leaves the Royals with a key decision to make.
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It's clear that Lynch wants to be a starter. The Royals must decide whether he's more effective in a relief role moving forward. The answer to that question likely will depend on offseason moves in the days ahead.
"I think just getting a little taste of it, there's a lot of differences, a lot of stuff I need to work on the mental side and physical side," Lynch said. "But I think, if I'm going to be as good as I can be, I think I can be a good starter in this league."
Lynch finishes his 2026 campaign with a 4.08 ERA in 86 innings pitched. He made 10 starts and the Royals were 6-4 in those games.
After Pasquantino's eighth-inning blast on Sunday, giving the Royals the lead for good, Lucas Erceg earned the save in the ninth.
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"Not to overstate it, but to get him to get a save at this point in the season, I think that was a hurdle as well," Quatraro said. "And that's a big plus for him and us."
Royals reliever Lucas Erceg pitches during the ninth inning of game No. 162, against the Cleveland Guardians, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026.
The Royals finish the 2026 with a 69-93 record while the Guardians advance to the Major League Baseball postseason — holding a bye in the wild-card round — after finishing 85–77.
"Every win matters," Royals captain Salvador Perez said. "Yeah, super, super happy for the win today.
"We didn't finish the way we want to finish. We already know that. It's something that can take for next year and figure out how to make it back to the playoffs."
