How Salvador Perez helped fuel a KC Royals breakout vs. the Brewers in Milwaukee
Kansas City Royals superstar Salvador Perez stamped the club’s 11-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers with his first home run.
And it was a no-doubter.
The big blast came in the seventh inning of Monday afternoon’s fourth game of the 2025 MLB season. Perez launched a hanging slider 418 feet into the left-field seats at American Family Field.
It was his first homer of the year and 274th of his illustrious career.
“It was a great day for us today,” Perez said.
The Royals found a quick rhythm against the Brewers. Their offense manufactured three early runs against right-handed Milwaukee starting pitcher Elvin Rodriguez. Michael Massey and Hunter Renfroe fueled the offense in the first inning.
Later, Maikel Garcia belted his second homer as the Royals capitalized on the Brewers’ beleaguered bullpen. The hosts were coming off a bleak three-game series — all losses — in New York against the high-powered Yankees.
On Monday the Brewers’ relief crew allowed seven runs. The Royals broke through with six in the seventh inning to seal the victory.
“We took advantage of the pitcher (Rodriguez), as he missed a lot of pitches in the middle,” Garcia said. “We tried to take advantage of that. And we knew they had a lot of runs at Yankee Stadium and we were trying to get the starter out early.”
Eight Royals recorded RBIs. That was more than enough run support for left-handed starter Kris Bubic. He tossed six shutout innings to collect his first victory of the season.
Bubic became the first Royals starting pitcher to complete six innings this season. He recorded eight strikeouts and controlled the strike zone throughout the matinee game.
“I think the offense did a great job setting the tone today,” Bubic said. “You know, (there was) a little sour note the way the game was yesterday and the way it ended. So coming out here and setting the tone, it helped me kind of ease into the rhythm of the game. We just kept adding on as the game went on and (that) made my life pretty simple out there.”
The victory evened KC’s early-season record to 2-2. The 11-run outburst was more than the Royals’ run total in their three-game, season-opening home series against the Cleveland Guardians.
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Here are more notable aspects from Monday’s game:
Maikel Garcia stays hot at the plate
Garcia continued his early-2025 surge at the plate Monday. In the second inning, he boomed a 93.2 mph fastball over the center-field wall.
The homer traveled 428 feet and caromed off the batter’s eye. Garcia has shown improved power after refining his batting stance this past offseason. His timing is more consistent and that allows him to be ready for mistake fastballs in the strike zone.
“I was working a lot in this offseason making my hitting stance new,” Garcia said. “I’m just trying to be patient and making good decisions at the plate. Trying to put the ball more in play.”
The Royals are hoping for consistent production throughout the year. Garcia has the ability to help manufacture runs from the bottom of the batting order. So far, he has been a catalyst for flipping the lineup and creating opportunities for teammates to drive in runs.
“It’s huge,” Royals infielder Jonathan India said. “There is always a guy on for me now, which I love. He is putting up good at-bats in front of me, which is tough because they obviously want to pitch to me because Bobby (Witt) is behind me.
“They don’t want me to get on. When someone is on for me, it’s like, what do they do? It’s always good to have someone on in front of the leadoff guy.”
Also notable: Garcia started in center field Monday for the first time in his major-league career. He finished the series opener 1-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs.
Tyler Tolbert makes MLB debut
The Royals promoted Tyler Tolbert before first pitch on Monday. He arrived from Triple-A Omaha after outfielder Dairon Blanco was placed on the 10-day injured list.
Tolbert is a speedster. He has swiped a staggering 241 bases in his minor-league career.
He logged one at-bat against the Brewers on Monday. And he finished out the game at second base as a defensive replacement.
What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game road trip against the Brewers on Tuesday night. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen will make his 2025 debut at American Family Field.
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 4:34 PM.
