Kansas City Royals name pitcher and player of the month. They both set records in May
The Kansas City Royals have honored Salvador Perez and Zack Grienke for their performances in the month of May.
Perez was named the Royals Player of the Month. He tied the franchise record with nine home runs in May. He joined Gary Gaetti (1995) in the record books for that mark.
Greinke was honored as Royals Pitcher of the Month. He posted a 2.30 ERA and made six starts. Greinke is coming off a scoreless outing against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. This is the first time he’s earned Royals Pitcher of the Month since returning prior to the 2022 season.
He also struck out his 1,000th different batter against the Milwaukee Brewers. Greinke got Brewers outfielder Joey Weimer to strike out after a seven-pitch at-bat. He joined MLB legends Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens in the exclusive club.
“It was pretty neat,” Greinke said of reaching the milestone.
In his career, Greinke has won the monthly award nine times. He broke a tie with former closer Joakim Soria to sit atop the record books. The Royals created the team honor during the 1995 season.
Perez is putting together an All-Star campaign. He leads the Royals with 12 home runs, 32 RBIs and a .849 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). Perez collected his 15th multi-homer game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 2.
He finished the month trailing New York Yankees star Aaron Judge (12) and Miami Marlins outfielder and former Royal Jorge Soler (12) for the most homers in the majors.
Perez also showcased his wheels on the base path. He drew rave reviews from teammates after he scored from first base against the Cardinals.
“He ran pretty well there,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That is probably the best I’ve seen him.”
Greinke’s next scheduled start is against the Marlins. He will look to carry his hot streak into June.
The Royals begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
