Was Saturday night Vinnie Pasquantino’s favorite night of the year when it was all said and done? No, he said after the 0-for-4 night in which he was unable to come through in a couple of key moments. Did he let it linger into Sunday? Certainly not. The Royals first baseman’s three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning Sunday propelled Kansas City to a 6-1 win over the Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium, taking the finale after back-to-back losses earlier this weekend. On Saturday, there were two at-bats Pasquantino wanted back, grounding out in the first inning and hitting into a double play in the eighth with the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the Royals’ eventual one-run loss. But such is the beauty of baseball: The next day, you’re probably getting another chance. “That’s what my dad always said, and it’s something I kind of repeated here, which is: The only one that matters is the next one,” Pasquantino said. “You might hit a homer in one at-bat, but you still have to go up there the second time. You might strike out your first time, and you still got to go up there for your second one. It’s kind of like trying to erase the past a little bit and just focus on where your feet are and trying to go compete because it’s all you can do -- is get to the next one.” And Pasquantino found himself in a similar situation right away Sunday afternoon. Hitting third as Jac Caglianone deals with a flexor strain in his left elbow, Pasquantino stepped to the plate with runners on first and second and nobody out in the first inning. John Rave -- hitting leadoff in place of Carter Jensen, who had a well-deserved day off after catching five consecutive days in the upper-90 degree heat -- had beaten out an infield single hit back to Blue Jays starter Spencer Arrighetti, and Bobby Witt Jr. had walked. “He’s hitting in the first inning, he knows that,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Got to be locked in.”
