Salvador Perez has had an incredible career for the Kansas City Royals, but one year in particualr sticks out like a sore thumb on his stat page.
Back in 2021, Perez somehow managed to blast 48 home runs, despite never hitting more than 27 in any other season of his career. Not only did he tie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the major league lead that season, but he set an impressive record in the process.
Perez, for four years, held the high-water mark for most home runs ever hit in a season by a primary catcher. On Sunday, however, he saw his brief reign come to a close.
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is making a real push to win American League Most Valuable Player honors this season, and for a few months now, it’s been fairly obvious he was going to blow past Perez’s record with his incredible power display.
On Sunday, Raleigh made it official, hitting his 49th home run of the season to set a new mark for catchers. He’ll take aim next at the Mariners franchise record of 56, held by Ken Griffey Jr., and with five weeks to go, he may even have an outside shot at Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62.
If Perez was going to lose his record, it may as well have been toppled by a player who’s not only making a push to win some major awards, but setting a new standard for what power hitting from the catching position can look like at its best.
Meanwhile, the Mariners and Royals still have a massive series coming up at Kauffman Stadium in mid-September. Kansas City currently trails Seattle by three games for the final AL wild card spot.
One can imagine that Perez, known for his gregarious personality, will congratulate Raleigh on usurping his title. But most importantly, Perez will try to call all the right pitches to make sure the “Big Dumper” stays out of the home run column for those three games.
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