There aren’t many players like Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez. At the height of his success, Perez has routinely championed for others.
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And Saturday afternoon was no different. After surpassing Hall of Famer George Brett on the Royals’ all-time home run list, Perez created a special moment for one of his beloved longtime coaches.
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Perez belted his 318th career homer off Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan. As Perez rounded the bases, he locked eyes with Royals coach Miguel Garcia — who was standing in front of the club’s dugout.
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After celebrating with Vinnie Pasquantino, Perez went up and gave Garcia a big hug before he returned to the rest of his teammates.
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The reason? Well, Garcia was with him from the very beginning.
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“No disrespect to (Alec Zumwalt) and all the hitting coaches, but he is the guy that gets me ready every day,” Perez said. “And I’ve known him since 2006 in the Dominican instructional (summer) league. That was my first time meeting Miggy. It’s been 20 years since I’ve been with him — all my career in the major leagues and a little bit in the minor leagues.”
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Perez has leaned on Garcia. He often goes to him wherever he is struggling at the plate. They work in the batting cage and come up with detailed adjustments together.
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On Saturday, the Royals defeated the Tigers 3-2 at Comerica Park. And after the game, Perez gave a speech to his teammates and invited Garcia to share in the celebration.
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Garcia has been with the Royals for 26 seasons. He began as a hitting and outfield coach for the Dominican Royals in 2001. From there, he crossed paths with Perez in 2006 and joined the big-league club as a batting practice pitcher.
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Across 14 seasons, Garcia operated in that batting practice role. Then, he was elevated to a major-league coach in 2023.
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The Royals welcome his contributions. And Perez is grateful to have him around to talk through ideas and in-game situations.
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“He’s been a huge part of his career, and they care a lot about each other,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “They work really well together. And you know, just to celebrate somebody that really works behind the scenes so much, like Miggy does, and to have him have a moment like that is really special.”
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Garcia has been present for all of Perez’s accomplishments. He was there for the nine-time All-Star appearances, five Gold Gloves and the 2015 World Series MVP.
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And he was present when Perez entered the 2021 T-Mobile Home Run Derby. Perez chose Garcia to be his Home Run derby pitcher for the event at Coors Field in Denver.
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It’s a relationship that was developed over the years. So it was only right for Garcia to be front and center for perhaps one of the biggest milestones in Perez’s career.
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“I appreciate him a lot,” Perez said.
Jaylon Thompson cubre a los Reales para The Kansas City Star. Anteriormente cubrió la Serie Mundial de 2021 y los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 2016 en Río de Janeiro, Brasil. Jaylon es un orgulloso alumno de la Universidad de Georgia.
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