Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez has chased Hall of Famer George Brett for the last 15 seasons.
With each passing milestone, Perez moved closer to history. But there was one career accomplishment that left Perez standing on Brett’s doorstep: the Royals’ all-time home run record.
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Not anymore.
On Saturday, Perez surpassed Brett with his 318th career home run against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. He now sits alone atop the Royals all-time leaderboard.
Perez belted an 84.1 mph slider off Tigers right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan into the left-field seats.
As he circled the bases, he also marched into the record books. And when he stepped on home plate to complete his round trip, Perez was celebrated by all of his Royals teammates. He also hugged Royals assistant coach Miguel Garcia as he was welcomed into the dugout.
The home run tied Saturday’s game at 2-2.
“Guy’s a Hall of Famer,” Royals infielder Nick Loftin said. “He’s a class act. I mean, he’s the first one in and the last one to leave all the time. He’s paved the way for us. He’s showing us how it is to be a true professional and he deserves it all.”
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On Wednesday, Perez tied Brett with a two-run homer at Kauffman Stadium. After hitting that home run, Perez gave the Royals faithful — as well as his mom, wife and kids in the stands — a curtain call.
“That was a super-exciting moment, especially to do it here in Kansas City,” Perez said after Wednesday’s game. “You know, I love the fans here. Kansas City is my second home, so thank you for the support.”
The Royals’ faithful have been along for the ride.
In 2011, Perez hit his first homer off future Hall of Fame starter Max Scherzer. Back then, Perez was a spry kid that made his name in grand fashion.
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It just so happened that the 2011 blast came in Detroit at Comerica Park — the site of the Royals’ first stop on a 10-game road trip.
Then, Perez hit his 250th home run against the New York Mets. And who could forget his 300th homer that all but solidified his own Hall of Fame résumé.
Each homer felt special. The different variation of swings — some more unique than others — endeared Perez to the fan base.
As the years passed, Perez found himself intertwined in Royals history. He was mentioned alongside Brett, Frank White, Amos Otis and others as the best to wear a KC uniform.
Brett was always the north star. His name was synonymous with nearly every record in franchise history — including the 1985 World Series title.
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After knocking on Brett’s door, Perez finally entrenched himself alongside him. In 2015, he helped the Royals win the World Series. Furthermore, Perez was also named World Series MVP for his postseason heroics.
Now, over a decade later, Perez and Brett are in the spotlight again.
This season, Perez overtook Brett for the most homers at Kauffman Stadium. On June 18 against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was his 137th career homer at the iconic venue.
And now Perez has pulled ahead.
Perez soaked in his moment on Saturday. And despite being reticent with personal goals, Perez could smile at his biggest accomplishment.
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He did his job.
It’s this blue-collar mentality that has made him a beloved icon in Kansas City. He embodies the city’s ethos and personifies the Midwest culture.
Perez is one of eight MLB catchers with 300 or more career homers. He now owns a franchise record that Brett maintained for more than three decades.
“I’m very happy and super excited,” Perez said after tying Brett. “Hopefully, I got more (homers in store).”
Perez made good on his prediction. And he will forever remember the night he wrote his name in the Royals’ franchise record books.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’
