Royals' Jac Caglianone Has 3-Word Response To First Homer In Kansas City
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There's something about homering in front of your home crowd for the first time that takes a weight off your shoulders.
Kansas City Royals rookie Jac Caglianone had two home runs in a single game on the road against the Texas Rangers, but in 13 games at Kauffman Stadium, he still hadn't gone deep. That finally changed on Tuesday night.
Caglianone put an A swing on a Mitch Keller change-up and sent it hurtling toward the right-center field bleachers at a blistering 114.1 miles per hour. It got the Royals on the board in the second inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which they'd go on to win 4-3 in walk-off fashion.
It was clear Caglianone had been pressing at the plate--how could he not be? He was called up to essentially be the offensive savior for the Royals, and he wasn't getting the job done. His OPS+ sat at an abysmal 22 entering play on Tuesday. But hopefully, that one swing turned things around.
After the game, Caglianone could only have a brief laugh at his own expense when asked about finally breaking the seal.
“Wow, a barrel,” Caglianone joked, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com.
The Royals still need more from the slugging lefty. He's got a .464 OPS even after the home run, and he's making their outfield offense, as bad as it was all season, even worse. But the long ball could be a huge step in the right direction.
With the trade deadline coming, a Caglianone surge combined with the addition of one more bat might be enough to get the Royals back into playoff contention.
More MLB: Royals Insider Names 'Biggest Need' For Pivotal Kansas City Trade Deadline
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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