A rainy afternoon in Pittsburgh sent the first baseman to the cages early, and the work showed up in the biggest swing of the day.
First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino watched the rain fall at PNC Park on Sunday and decided to start his day early, just in case the Kansas City Royals needed him in the middle of the game.
They did, and he delivered a two-run homer in the seventh inning that put Kansas City ahead.
The lead did not survive an eighth-inning homer by Pittsburgh, and the Royals lost the road finale 4-3, but the way Pasquantino handled an unusual assignment was the most interesting part of a long afternoon.
Built and Lost
Kansas City scored first when first baseman Salvador Perez singled home shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. in the opening inning.
Center fielder Oneil Cruz tied it with a solo homer in the fourth, and first baseman Spencer Horwitz singled home the go-ahead run off starter Michael Wacha in the sixth.
In the seventh, left fielder John Rave reached on a bunt single and moved up on a groundout, and Pasquantino, hitting for center fielder Tyler Tolbert, drove a two-run homer to right center off reliever Carmen Mlodzinski for a 3-2 lead.
Catcher Rafael Flores Jr. answered with a two-run homer in the eighth, and a ninth-inning double by catcher Luke Maile went to waste when the tying run was stranded at third base.
Ready Before He Was Needed
The homer was the first pinch-hit home run of Pasquantino's career, in just the seventh pinch-hit at-bat he has ever taken.
His explanation afterward said plenty about how he goes about the job.
"I got prepared early because I wasn't sure if we would play a full nine innings because of the rain. So I came inside (to the indoor batting) cages in the third or fourth inning. You never feel totally prepared when you come in and pinch-hit in the middle of the game, but I felt good."
Preparation like that usually comes from habit.
Pinch-hitting asks a player to deliver one good at-bat with no rhythm behind it, which makes the preparation part of the job, and Pasquantino treated it that way in a game with nothing on the line.
Designated hitter Jac Caglianone, who sat out Friday's series opener, reached base three times on Sunday.
The young hitters have spent September making statements of their own, and Pasquantino's 14th homer of the season fit right in with that energy.
Wacha did his part too, throwing 113 pitches to protect a tired bullpen because he sensed the relievers needed the rest.
Home for the Final Six
The road schedule is finished, and it ends with Kansas City at 28-53 away from home after a 2-7 trip.
The season closes with six games at Kauffman Stadium, three against the White Sox starting Tuesday and three against the Guardians over the weekend, two clubs separated by one game in the AL Central race.
The Royals have looked livelier at the plate in stretches this month, and manager Matt Quatraro has called the last six games meaningful ones worth being excited about.
If the rest of the roster prepares the way Pasquantino did on Sunday, the White Sox and Guardians will have to earn every win they get in Kansas City.
