Kansas City, Mo. — Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has his own unique brand of déjà vu. It only happens when he’s batting against Michael Pineda.
Pasquantino has hit two home runs in his young big-league career.
The first was on July 1 at Comerica Park. It came leading off the fourth inning on the first pitch from Pineda.
The other came Monday, leading off the fourth inning on the first pitch from Pineda.
Freaky.
Pasquantino wasn’t done. He ripped an RBI single off Pineda in the bottom of the sixth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie and sending the Royals to a 3-1 win over the Tigers in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Kauffman Stadium.