Salvador Perez stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday with the Royals trailing the Giants 3-1, a man on base, and 40 years of franchise history hanging in the air. One swing later, he owned a piece of it.
Perez crushed a 437-foot two-run homer to right-center, off Giants right-hander Landen Roupp, to tie George Brett’s Royals franchise record of 317 career home runs. The blast landed in the fountains beyond the wall and pulled Kansas City within one run in what became a 5-4 comeback win.
A Record 40 Years in the Making
George Brett held sole possession of the Royals’ home run record since April 9, 1986, when he passed Amos Otis with his 194th home run. Brett retired in 1993 with 317, and the number stood untouched for over three decades. Until Wednesday.
Perez’s 317 career home runs are the third most among active players who have hit all their homers with a single team, trailing only Mike Trout (422 with the Angels) and Aaron Judge (385 with the Yankees). When he hits No. 318, he will become just the third active player to own his team’s all-time home run record outright.
A Career of Loyalty
Perez has played all 15 of his major league seasons in Kansas City, a rarity in modern baseball. Signed by the Royals in 2009 as an international free agent out of Venezuela, he has become the face of the franchise through the World Series title in 2015, the rebuild years, and everything in between.
In an on-field postgame interview, a visibly moved Perez said he was honored to share a record with the Hall of Famer who defined Royals excellence for two decades.
“It’s only right they now share one of the most meaningful records in franchise history,” MLB.com wrote. — even if the tie doesn’t last for long.”
The Swing That Did It
The 437-foot shot was vintage Perez — a no-doubt drive that left the bat with the kind of authority only a future Hall of Famer can generate. It was his 14th homer of the season and his third in the last five games. At 36 years old, Perez is showing no signs of slowing down.
His next home run will be the most significant in Royals history. One swing away from standing alone.
Tyler Harlan
Tyler Harlan covers sports with an eye for rotations, trends, scheduling spots, and the game context that often gets overlooked.