Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (9) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Kauffman Stadium on Aug. 18. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Kansas City Royals Slugger Makes Team History Not Seen in Almost a Decade

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 11:21 AM ET

The Kansas City Royals suffered a tough 6-3 loss against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night, harming their playoff chances in the process.

Kansas City is 65-62, and they remain 2.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the third and final wild card spot. They are also three games back of the Boston Red Sox for wild card spot number two.

Despite the loss, the game was a solid offensive one for first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, his 25th of the season.

According to Justin Havens of Underdog Fantasy, Pasquantino is the first Royals first baseman since Eric Hosmer to hit 25 homers in a season. He did that in 2017.

Vinnie Pasquantino is the first Royals 1B since Eric Hosmer in 2017 to hit 25 HR in a season.
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) August 21, 2025

Pasquantino's career

Now 27, Paquantino is in the fourth year of his career, all with Kansas City. A career .265 hitter, he's got 63 lifetime home runs and 235 RBIs. He's got 86 RBIs this season and pairs with Bobby Witt Jr. to make up one of the best lineup duos in the American League.

He was an 11th round pick of the Royals in the 2019 draft out of Old Dominion, the same school that produced future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander.

Hosmer's legacy in KC:

Still just 35 years old, Hosmer spent 13 years in the big leagues with the Royals, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. He spent seven years in Kansas City, helping the Royals win the 2015 World Series over the New York Mets. He hit 127 homers in a Royals uniform, while posting two seasons of 25 blasts.

He was an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, and a four-time Gold Glover in KC, and he recently came back to town to play with the Savannah Bananas.

Eric Hosmer playing 1st base at Kauffman Stadium.

Feelin’ like 2015 at The K ️#Royals @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/aYcTdB6vlS
— Matt Foster (@MattFosterTV) May 24, 2025