Caglianone Goes 5-for-6, 6 RBI as KC Buries Toronto 13-2
Jac Caglianone went 5-for-6 with a home run, 6 RBI, and 3 runs scored, turning this game into a one-man demolition job before it was halfway done. Kansas City rolled to a 13-2 final, and the story of the night was how completely and how early the Royals seized control.
The damage started in the first inning and never really stopped. Carter Jensen launched a 421-foot home run to right to put Kansas City up immediately, and before Arrighetti could escape the frame, a fielding error on a grounder allowed Witt Jr. to score, making it 2-0. Then in the second, Caglianone singled to right to score both Rojas and Witt Jr. — that play swung Toronto's win probability from 28% to 16%, and the Blue Jays never came close to recovering. Four runs through two innings, and it already looked like a long night for the home side.
The sixth inning was where Kansas City turned a comfortable lead into a statement. Isbel doubled to center to score Rojas, Witt Jr. then doubled to left to score Isbel, and Caglianone singled to right again — this time scoring both Jensen and Witt Jr. — pushing the lead to 8-0. Pasquantino then put the exclamation point on the frame with a 370-foot home run to right, scoring Caglianone and making it 10-0. Springer gave the Toronto crowd something to cheer with a 404-foot shot to center that scored Kirk and cut it to 10-2, but that was as close as the Blue Jays would get. Arrighetti lasted just 4.0 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 earned runs, and 2 walks. Lorenzen and Fisher absorbed the rest, with the bullpen doing what it could in a game that was already decided.
Noah Cameron did his job efficiently for Kansas City, going 6.0 innings and allowing just 2 earned runs on 6 hits. Caglianone wasn't done either — he scored in the eighth on a Pasquantino single, then capped his night in the ninth with a 409-foot home run to right that scored Tolbert and set the final at 13-2. Witt Jr. crossed the plate three times. Pasquantino finished 2-for-5 with a homer and 3 RBI. This appears to be the kind of performance that defines a road trip — Kansas City's offense looked locked in from pitch one, and Toronto's pitching staff had no answer for it at any point in the game.