Kansas City Royals could farewell traditional home with Today finals blockbuster…
Thursday night at Minute Maid Park, the Kansas City Royals lost more than a game to the Houston Astros (HOU 6, KC 3). The Royals lost ace reliever Lucas Erceg and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino to hand injuries, which they suffered on the same play in the eighth inning. On Friday, the Royals announced Pasquantino has a broken thumb. His regular season is over.
The 6-8 week timetable means Pasquantino’s regular season is over, though he could return in the postseason. The Division Series appears to be the earliest he could rejoin the lineup. It’s possible, if not likely, that Pasquantino will not be available until later than that. The Royals have not yet announced an update on Erceg.
As noted, both injuries happened on the same play. Erceg was hurt when he attempted to field Yainer Diaz’s hard-hit chopper back to the mound with his bare hand, and Pasquantino got hurt when the throw to first base took his arm into the runner’s lane. Erceg hurt his right (pitching) hand. Pasquantino broke his right (glove) thumb. Here’s the play:
