Pasquantino has HR and 3 RBIs, Witt gets 4 hits as Royals beat Angels 9-4

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Kansas City Royals first base Vinnie Pasquantino (9) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. hits a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh) — Kansas City Royals first base Vinnie Pasquantino (9) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

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9:40 PM on Thursday, September 25

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino homered and drove in three runs, Bobby Witt Jr. had four hits and the Kansas City Royals beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-4 on Thursday night.

Michael Lorenzen (7-11) gave up two earned runs and five hits with a season-high nine strikeouts and no walks in 5 2/3 innings for the Royals.

Jo Adell, Nolan Schanuel and Mike Trout each homered for the Angels. Trout’s two-run shot — his 23rd of the season and 401st of his career — cut Kansas City's lead to 5-4 in eighth.

However, the Royals scored four in the top of the ninth, a rally highlighted by Salvador Perez’s two-out, three-run double off Angels reliever Sam Bachman, to pull away.

Mitch Farris (1-3) gave up four earned runs and five hits in five innings, striking out five and walking two, for the Angels, who have lost 11 of 13 games.

Pasquantino’s team-leading 32nd homer, a two-run shot to right field in the first, gave him a team-high 110 RBIs on the season. Adell pulled the Angels to 2-1 in the second with his team-high 37th homer.

Pasquantino had a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the third and Witt had an RBI double in the fifth to push the lead to 5-1.

Schanuel’s solo shot in the sixth brought the Angels back within two, but Adam Frazier’s pinch-hit RBI single in the eight made it 5-2.

Key moment

Bachman was one strike away from escaping a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, but Perez hit a drive off the base of the center-field wall for his game-breaking hit.

Key stat

The Angels struck out 13 times, bringing their major league-leading total to 1,603 — tied for fourth-most in major league history. With three games left, the Angels are 51 shy of Minnesota’s single-season record of 1,654 strikeouts, set in 2023.

Up next

Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-10, 4.79 ERA) will start against Astros RHP Jason Alexander (4-2, 4.83 ERA) at home on Friday.

Royals LHP Noah Cameron (9-7, 2.90 ERA) will start against Athletics RHP Luis Morales (4-2, 3.07) on Friday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb