Six of the top moments in Salvador Perez’s Royals career (so far)
Royals catcher Salvador Perez will appear in this sixth consecutive All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Washington, and he’s earned the respect of peers.
In his previous five appearances in the Midsummer Classic, he has hit .250 (2 for 8) with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.
In honor of Perez’s sixth straight trip to the All-Star Game, here are six of the top moments of his career.
1. The hit
At 11:52 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2014, Perez pulled a pitch from Oakland’s Jason Hammel past a diving Josh Donaldson for a single that scored Christian Colon with the winning run in the AL Wild Card Game. The Royals, who at one point had a 3 percent chance of winning, prevailed 9-8 in 12 innings. It forever will be one of the biggest hits in franchise history.
2. The MVP
The longest postseason hitting streak of Perez’s career is five games. It came in the 2015 World Series as he reached base safely in each game and finished with a .364 average and a pair of doubles. Perez was the World Series MVP, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and appeared on “The Tonight Show” with Eric Hosmer.
3. All-Star Game
Batting two spots behind Hosmer in the American League lineup, Perez had a great seat to watch his friend’s second-inning homer tie the 2016 All-Star Game at 1-1. After Boston’s Mookie Betts singled, Perez clubbed a two-run homer at Petco Park to give the AL the lead for good.
4. ALDS homer
Perez hit a two-run homer that staked the Royals to a 2-0 lead over the Houston Astros in the second inning of Game 4 of the 2015 American League Division Series. The Royals ended up rallying for a 9-6 victory that is part of Kansas City lore.
5. Memorable debut
Most players make an impact in their first game with the bat. Perez did it by picking off two Rays runners on Aug. 1, 2011. Perez caught Casey Kotchman at first and Sam Fuld at third. Perez also had an RBI and scored a run in an 8-7 loss.
6. Five for five
Perez was the second catcher in Royals history to have five hits in a game when he went 5 for 5 against the Twins on May 23 in Minnesota. (Darrell Porter did it on June 4, 1978, against the White Sox.)
This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 10:41 AM.