‘An MVP-style season’: Perez hits another game-changing slam for Kansas City Royals
While in the midst of a career season and a year likely to make history for a player at the game’s most grueling position, Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez has continued to attain new levels of amazement.
He has more home runs (three) than strikeouts (two) in his past three games dating back to Wednesday. In his last two games, he has four hits, eight RBIs, two grand slams and just one strikeout.
Perez became the 24th player in the history of the American and National leagues to hit grand slam home runs in back-to-back games when he hit one for the second consecutive night to help the Royals to an 8-7 extra-inning win on Friday night in Seattle.
Perez went 3 for 5 with four RBIs and a walk to give him three consecutive games with a homer. His 36th home run of the season tied Steve Balboni (1985) for the third-most in a single season in franchise history behind Jorge Soler’s 48 in 2019 and Mike Moustakas’ 38 in 2017. Perez is now one shy of tying Carlton Fisk’s AL single-season record for homers in a season by a catcher.
“We’re watching an MVP-style season with what’s going on here with this guy,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “You should hear these people. Every time he walks by, they’re blown away at how one guy can be so dangerous and have such a big impact two days in a row. He’s just in a unique space with what he’s been able to do and doing it on both sides of the ball.”
Perez also moved into a tie with Danny Tartabull for the second-most career grand slams (five) in franchise history. Frank White sits in first place with six.
The Royals had never hit grand slams on back-to-back days until Thursday, but they tied an AL record with grand slams in three consecutive games. Their streak started with Whit Merrifield’s blast Wednesday afternoon in a loss at Houston.
“It’s incredible to watch every night,” Royals pitcher Kris Bubic said following the game. “He’s doing something that’s almost monumental every night. Grand slams on back-to-back nights, let alone something we really don’t see at all. But he’s that type of player and he’s built for those moments.”
Bubic got out to a rough start and gave up five runs in the first two innings. His elevated pitch count also put the Royals in a bind as far as how to proceed with a worn down bullpen.
The Royals trailed 5-1 in the fourth when Ryan O’Hearn (3 for 4) hit a leadoff single. Then with two outs, Whit Merrifield (2 for 5, two runs) singled on a grounder to right field. Nicky Lopez (3 for 6) went the other way with a line-drive single to right field to bring Perez to the plate.
Perez did not speak with reporters postgame on Friday, but in a recent interview he explained he tries not to treat those pivotal situations any differently than he would any other at-bat.
“I don’t think about pressure or I don’t put myself in the position that ‘You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to do it,’” Perez said. “I just try to do my best, try to listen to what Terry [Bradshaw], the hitting coach, tells me.”
In the fourth inning Friday night, Perez hit a 1-1 slider on the outside corner from Mariners starter Logan Gilbert an estimated 412 feet to center field and tied the score 5-5.
By tying the score, Perez prompted Matheny to pull the trigger and use Saturday’s scheduled starter Carlos Hernández out of the bullpen.
Hernández gave the Royals 5 2/3 innings and allowed just one infield hit and an unearned run thanks to the automatic runner in extra innings. That run only tied the score in the bottom of the 10th after Edward Olivares, recalled from the minors for the sixth time this season prior to the game, came off the bench in the top of the 10th and hit a sacrifice fly.
Olivares’ two-run homer in the 12th put the Royals up for good.
