MSL to MLB: Sal Fasano Making Most of Finally Getting Opportunity with Royals

NOTE: We didn’t have to worry about a repeat of our 1996 story because, in the words of immortal Chicago baseball writer Jerome “The Dean” Holtzman, I arrived in good time at new Comiskey Park (as it was known then) for a pregame interview with Sal with Royals in town to play the White Sox. He was accommodating and engaging as always and then provided an added boost to the story with a big game in what this time was a happy homecoming to Chicago.

All Sal Fasano wanted was a chance to be a regular guy.

Fasano is finally getting it in his third season with the Kansas City Royals. Starting behind the plate, as he did in Thursday night’s series opener with the White Sox at Comiskey Park, is no longer just a respite for someone else for the 1989 Hoffman Estates High School graduate.

“It’s nice to have an opportunity to show everybody what you can do,” Fasano said before a 6-4 Royals victory. “It’s so much nicer to play three of four in a series instead of one of four.”

Fasano made it a happy homecoming by doubling twice and tying a career high with 3 RBI in 4 at-bats. He drove in 2 runs with a liner off the top of the fence in left-center to put the Royals ahead to stay in the sixth inning and drove in a run with a ground-rule double down the line in left in the third.

That put Fasano at .234 with 3 homers and 16 RBI in 128 at-bats, which is already two-thirds of his total trips from his previous two tours with the Royals.

And his numbers have been increasing with his playing time. Fasano raised his average from .157 by going 14-for-35 (.400) with 2 homers and 2 doubles in his last 12 games before the All-Star break.

Fasano said his success has been partly mechanical as he worked to eliminate an uppercut and shortened his swing. But he’s also not looking over his shoulder and worrying about sitting and watching from the dugout.

“I can go 0-for-4 but I know I’m in there tomorrow with a chance to go 4-for-4,” Fasano said. “When you play once or twice a week it’s tough if you go 0-for-4. You’ve got to sit on that for four or five days. It’s tough to get a rhythm and find out how pitchers pitch you.”

That along with an early indoctrination on baseball being a business didn’t have Fasano, who turns 27 a month from today, doubting his ability to play in the major leagues.

It was a surprise when he went from Class AA to the Royals out of spring training in 1996 as the backup. He hit .203 with 6 homers in 51 games but got a rude shock when was sent down to Triple-A by then-manager Bob Boone two days before he was supposed to make his first trip to Comiskey Park.

“I never got the true reason why,” Fasano said.

Last year he hit just .211 in 13 games while being shuttled between AA and AAA. But some breaks came his way this season to put him in Kansas City for what he hopes will be an extended stay.

Fasano started the season at Triple-A, but on April 8 veteran starting catcher Mike MacFarlane was traded to Oakland. So he returned originally as the backup for Mike Sweeney.

But he found he had a believer in Tony Muser, who had taken over when Boone was fired a year ago Thursday. All Muser asked of Fasano was to play hard and his playing time increased.

And Fasano figures if he continues to do that and improve his full-time gig in Kansas City may last awhile.

“As long as (Muser’s) here and I play Tony Muser-style baseball, which is as hard as you can with everything you’ve got,” Fasano said. “You don’t become a superstar overnight. You have to work at it. He’s given me the opportunity for that chance.”

And Sal Fasano kept taking advantage Thursday night.