July 2, 2022

By Fred Liggett
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When the schedule for a new season comes out major league baseball fans like to see if their favorite team is going to be playing at home over the fourth of July holiday weekend. For Kansas City Royals fans in 2022 there is no such luck as the team will have to provide fireworks for their fans before the holiday arrives.

The Royals did the best they could to bring some holiday type fun to their fans with a six-game home stand to finish the month of June. The six games found the Royals playing three games against the Oakland A’s and then three against the Texas Rangers.

The first game of the home stand came on a Friday night, Jun. 24. The Royals put Zack Greinke on the mound searching for his first win on the season. Greinke got that win in a 3-1 Royals win over the A’s. Fans were then treated to a fireworks show. The Royals came up short the rest of the series losing 9-7 on Saturday and 5-3 on Sunday afternoon.

Monday was the start of a new work week and a new series for the Royals as they welcomed the Texas Rangers out of the AL West Division to town. The series opener went to the Rangers in a 10-4 win. Tuesday night saw the major league debut of 24-year-old Vinnie Pasquantino. There was a different feel at the ballpark as fans were eager to get a glimpse of Vinnie, an 11th round draft choice by the Royals in 2019.

Following the trade of first baseman Carlos Santana the Royals promoted Pasquantino from triple A Omaha. The Old Dominion University product rose quickly through the Royals minor league system reaching number three on the team’s prospect list at the time of his call up. The excitement of watching someone reaching their dreams of making it to the major leagues didn’t last long as the Royals fell 8-3 to the Rangers.

The series and home stand came to a close on Wednesday afternoon with 38-year-old Zack Greinke, making his 500th career start. Greinke is the only active player to do so. The 2002 first round pick by the Royals earned his second win on the season with a 2-1 win to close the six-game home stand.

The Royals are 27-47 as they head out on the road to Detroit where they will be playing for the fourth of July holiday weekend. The Tigers are the team directly ahead of the Royals in the AL Central Division standings. While at home in Kansas City the Royals may not have played on a holiday but gave their fans that holiday feel with something old and new.