How Salvador Perez helped the Royals sweep the Mariners at T-Mobile Park
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Salvador Perez was initially called out on key play. Replay overturned it, and he scored.
- Kris Bubic allowed one run over seven innings, struck out seven and earned the win.
- Royals completed a series sweep at T-Mobile Park with a 4-1 victory over Seattle.
Salvador Perez revved his engines like a luxury Cadillac. While not the most fleet of foot, Perez floored the gas pedal toward home plate.
He was racing against time.
In the fourth inning, Perez stood at third base with one out. Isaac Collins stood in the batter’s box with one goal in mind: Get Salvy home.
Collins held up his end of the bargain. He hit a fly ball to Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez that was just deep enough.
Perez tagged up and sprinted home. The baseball arrived at the same time, causing Perez to dive headfirst with his arms extended. The Royals captain was initially called out by home plate umpire Clint Vondrak.
The call wasn’t satisfactory for Perez. He immediately motioned to Royals manager Matt Quatraro to challenge. And replay review determined Perez got his hand in before the tag.
The Royals (15-19) took a two-run lead over the Mariners. Collins later added an RBI double as KC earned a 4-1 victory and series sweep at T-Mobile Park.
Perez led the Royals throughout the series. He had a key single in Saturday’s win and was a part of the three-run fourth inning.
The Royals recorded two singles and benefitted from a bases-loaded walk in the frame. Carter Jensen, Jac Caglianone and Collins all recorded RBIs.
Jensen drew a seven-pitch walk against Mariners starter Luis Castillo. Next, Caglianone drove home a run on a fielder’s choice. And that paved the way for Perez to sprint home with an instant to spare.
Kris Bubic posts quality start
The four runs stood up for Royals left-handed starter Kris Bubic. He navigated the Mariners (16-19) lineup — sans All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh — across seven innings.
Bubic was sharp from the beginning. He allowed four hits, one run and struck out seven batters while staying ahead in the count. His four-seam fastball went for a first-pitch strike 64% of the time. He induced 47 swings and 11 whiffs in the game.
And Bubic got his shutdown inning. In the fourth, he recorded consecutive strikeouts — retiring Connor Joe and Jhonny Pereda — to end the frame. It was a critical sequence after the Royals took a 3-1 lead.
Bubic got Joe swinging on three pitches. He tossed a 93.3 mph fastball on the outside corner to finish the plate appearance. Pereda later whiffed on an 86.4 mph changeup in the dirt as catcher Carter Jensen fired down to first base for the out.
It was Bubic’s fourth quality start. He won his third game and now sports a 3.32 ERA this season.
Royals finish off successful road trip
The Royals turned to their bullpen in the eighth inning. Relievers John Schreiber and Daniel Lynch IV combined for a scoreless frame. Lynch got the save after pitching a clean ninth inning.
The Royals return home fresh off the sweep and a 4-2 road trip. They will open a series against American League Central rival Cleveland on Monday night.
What’s next: Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (2-2. 3.13 ERA) will start opposite Guardians righty Tanner Bibee (0-4, 4.08 ERA) at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. Central on Monday.
