CINCINNATI -- Players¡¯ Weekend is all about fun, and this weekend¡¯s Royals-Reds series is all about the pair of young superstar shortstops who make playing every day look like a blast.

Bobby Witt Jr. took it a step further by using a Pablo Sanchez-inspired bat, in honor of the legendary Backyard Baseball character, and used it on Friday night to power his way into some exclusive company.

Swinging a yellow-barrelled bat imprinted with Sanchez¡¯s face and the fictional slugger¡¯s signature catchphrase, ¡®Hasta la vista!¡¯ Witt walloped his 25th homer to become the third Royal to hit 25 homers and steal 25 bases in consecutive seasons as Kansas City ran away with a 7-1 victory at Great American Ball Park.

Witt joined Carlos Beltr¨¢n (2002-03) and Bo Jackson (1988-89) as the only Royals to go 25/25 in back-to-back seasons.

¡°It¡¯s incredible,¡± said righty Michael Lorenzen, who earned his first win as a Royal in his return to Cincinnati against the team he debuted with and spent the first seven seasons of his career. ¡°You see it on MLB Network every night and you kind of get sick of it to be honest, because he¡¯s on it every night.

¡°And then playing with him, and it¡¯s the real deal. There aren¡¯t many people you can say that about. You can say that about Bobby. It¡¯s the real deal, it¡¯s incredible, and the way he goes about his business, too, makes me have that much more respect for him.¡±

Add it to the growing list of accomplishments for the All-Star shortstop, who keeps leaving those around him jaw-dropped as he continues an MVP-caliber campaign in his third big league season.

Witt characteristically did a little bit of everything against the Reds. His 25th homer, a solo tater off Nick Martinez in the fourth, traveled a Statcast-projected 430 feet and landed in the second deck in left field. Witt also doubled and scored in the sixth, and was a triple shy of the cycle. He also showed off his elite speed by taking two bases on an errant pickoff throw in the seventh, and scored three runs.

¡°I don¡¯t take it for granted,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°It¡¯s not something you see. He¡¯s performing at a much higher level than even an All-Star caliber player, and it¡¯s really fun to watch. He manages it really well. A lot of guys get on a hot streak and then they come back down to Earth.

¡°He¡¯s so level-headed. He¡¯s so competitive. He¡¯s such a good process-driven guy, that he continues to have this success and it¡¯s really something special.¡±

Said first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who added a game-breaking three-run homer in the ninth: ¡°He¡¯s just been phenomenal all year. He¡¯s a fantastic ballplayer.¡±

Witt leads baseball in hitting and is slashing .352/.400/.621, ranking among the game¡¯s leaders in nearly every statistical category on both sides of the ball. Earlier this month, he became the first player in MLB history to go 20/20 in each of his first three seasons. And last year, Witt registered one of the six 30-30 seasons ever by a shortstop.

He¡¯s on pace to reach those totals again this season. No shortstop in the history of the game has done it in consecutive years.

¡°I¡¯m [not] trying to do anything more or less than just be myself and help the team win,¡± Witt said before the game.

It¡¯s fitting that Witt used a video game-inspired bat for Players¡¯ Weekend, because those are video game numbers. And he¡¯s been on a tear lately.

Friday was his second straight game with a homer, after he hit the highest pitch for a home run by a Royal in the Statcast era (since 2015) in Wednesday's win over Minnesota. He¡¯s now reached base safely in 25 of the last 26 games, slashing .456/.509/.845 with 20 extra-base hits (nine HRs), 30 runs scored, 27 RBIs and three steals.

Since June 30, Witt has more multi-hit games (21) than strikeouts (19).

Those are Pablo Sanchez numbers.

¡°We figured out that his fictional birthday is Sunday,¡± Witt said. ¡°I played the game growing up. Backyard Baseball is kinda cool, and that¡¯s how I try to play the game. Like I¡¯m having fun.¡±