SEATTLE (AP) — All Vinnie Pasquantino needed was a few days of rest, a walk around Seattle this morning, and a warm, sunny day at T-Mobile Park to get back on track for the Kansas City Royals.
Pasquantino had two hits — including a solo homer — two RBIs and two runs in his return to Kansas City’s lineup against the Seattle Mariners after sitting out the previous two games because of lower back tightness. He batted third and played first base in the Royal’s 7-6 win.
“I told them yesterday, I want in,” Pasquantino said. “And I’ll let them know if anything changes.”
His single to right field drove in Kansas City’s opening run in the first inning. He then belted his fourth home run of the season in the sixth off Bryan Woo on a 2-0 count, a Statcast-projected 404-foot blast into the second deck in right. It gave the Royals a 5-3 lead before Jac Caglianone followed with a solo home run to right.
Pasquantino said it has been an issue he has dealt with for a while after he was removed in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game. He also appeared in the ninth inning and hit a game-ending flyout in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Athletics.
“We hope that he’s not going to have to deal with it the whole season,” manager Matt Quatraro said before Friday’s game. “But he’ll probably feel it for a handful of days before it resolves.”
But it felt good in Friday’s win.
“We’ll see how it feels in about an hour when all the adrenaline comes down,” Paquantino said. “
Pasquantino, 28, is off to a slow start this season for Kansas City, batting .176 with three doubles, 16 RBIs and 25 strikeouts in 30 games.
Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino hits an RBI single to score Maikel Garcia against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are full of new blood, and so far three teams have advanced to the second round after not even making the postseason last year.
Buffalo, Colorado, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Anaheim have advanced from the first round, with the Flyers (six years) and the Ducks (eight) enjoying their first playoff trips in a long while. The Sabres ended the longest drought in NHL history at 14 seasons and are now through after eliminating Boston.
The Avalanche and Wild, who will face each other, each lost in the first round a year ago. Another newcomer is on the way, too: Whoever wins the Montreal-Tampa Bay series didn’t make the second round last year either, making a pair of early exits.
The second round includes six out of eight new teams. Only Carolina, which hosts the Flyers in Game 1 on Saturday, and Vegas, which defeated Utah next faces Anaheim, made it this far a year ago.
“That’s the exciting part of where the league is at and where these teams are at,” Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger said recently. “New teams (are) getting into the playoffs and showcasing some of these young players that are on the rise that maybe haven’t had that experience. And now they get a chance to kind of understand what it’s all about and what it means to play in the playoffs.”
A new Cup winner was guaranteed last month when back-to-back champion Florida was eliminated from contention late in a season derailed by injuries.
There will now be two new finalists after Edmonton got knocked out in the first round by the Ducks. Oilers captain Connor McDavid said they “were an average team all year” and did not live up to high expectations.
The Hurricanes, who have advanced in each of the past eight years since Rod Brind’Amour took over as coach in 2018, host one of the upstart teams in the field: Philadelphia last reached the playoffs during 2020 pandemic.
“There was never a doubt,” said Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar, who had a 42-save shutout in the Game 6 overtime victory against Pittsburgh. “Good things happen to good people, and we are good people here.”
In the West, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche have been waiting around since sweeping Los Angeles. In the playoffs for a ninth year in a row, they next face the Wild, who beat Dallas in a six-game showdown of Central Division powerhouses.
“It’s going to be a hard-fought series,” Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “High-quality teams, high-quality players, good goaltending and special teams. It’s going to be a battle.”
Minnesota finally won its opening series after losing its past eight, reaching the second round for the first time since 2015. Rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt noticed a fan crying in the stands during the clinching Game 6 win, and it made him realize how much it meant beyond the locker room.
“There’s so many more people who are with us on this road and this journey,” Wallstedt said. “The excitement and joy to get past the first round is huge.”
The Ducks in coach Joel Quenneville’s debut season advanced for the first time since a run to the Western Conference Final in 2017.
“Now we’ve got a taste of playoff hockey,” Quenneville said. “I think we can feel at this moment that it’s so much fun playing games that have the meaning and the building being as loud and excited as it is. It seems to grow from this level on.”
AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston in Philadelphia; Dave Campbell in St. Paul, Minnesota; Greg Beacham in Anaheim, California; and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Colorado Avalanche's Devon Toews (7) celebrates his goal with Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Martin Necas (88) against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period of Game 4 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
Minnesota Wild players celebrate after wining Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)
Philadelphia Flyers' Dan Vladar reacts after the Flyers won Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson, left, celebrates his empty net goal with left wing Chris Kreider during the third period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Edmonton Oilers, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
