‘He’s my No. 1 favorite.’ Royals fan wins $25,000 on Salvador Perez’s Sonic Slam
When Christy Myers first opened her eyes Tuesday morning, she wasn’t sure if what happened during the Royals’ sweep of the Cleveland Guardians a day earlier was reality.
Not only did the Royals win both games in Cleveland, but catcher Salvador Perez hit a grand slam in the Sonic Slam inning, winning $25,000 for Myers in the nightcap.
“I’m still kind of in shock,” Myers said in a phone interview. “When I woke up today, I was like, ‘I hope that wasn’t a dream yesterday.’ And then when I was watching the local news, it’s like, ‘Yeah, he did hit a grand slam, so this must be real.’”
It’s the second time this season a Royals fan has won the grand prize. Left fielder MJ Melendez hit a grand slam in June at Dodger Stadium.
Contestants in the Sonic Slam inning are given notice of which game they’ll have a chance to win big. Myers, who is 54 and lives in Trimble, Missouri, was listening on the radio.
She initially wasn’t optimistic, especially after the first batter of the sixth inning made an out.
“The inning didn’t start out very good for them,” Myers noted. “And then once they walked Bobby Witt Jr. and got that third base runner, I was like, ‘Hmm, Perez is up, I have a slight chance at this.’ But he had just hit a home run the inning before. I thought, ‘OK, there’s no way he’s going to hit another home run, but maybe at least drive in a run or something and keep the bases loaded.’”
Instead, Perez crushed a pitch to left-center.
Myers has lived in the Kansas City area her entire life (Trimble is just north of Smithville) and has always cheered for the Royals.
“Ever since I started walking,” she said, “I’ve loved baseball.”
And, like Royals fans everywhere, Myers has had a soft spot for Perez in her heart. That’s only grown.
“He’s always been one of my favorite players, but he’s No. 1 today,” Myers said.
Not only was Myers thrilled about the money, but the Royals’ Monday sweep put them one game back of the Guardians in the AL Central standings. KC is also 6 1/2 games ahead in the Wild Card race.
“They’re having a really good year. I’m just hoping they’ll make the playoffs and I can go to a World Series game again this year,” Myers said.
She was at Game 6 of the 2014 World Series when the Royals crushed the Giants 10-0 and Yordano Ventura pitched seven shutout innings.
Should the Royals return to the World Series this fall, Myers can afford to buy tickets, although she is planning to first pay off some debts.
It’s been a big week for Perez, who on Thursday surprised some Kansas City, Kansas, kids by joining their neighborhood Wiffle ball game.
“I think he is a great example of what a professional athlete should be,” Myers said, “because he gave those children a lifetime memory, they will never forget that.”
And now you can say the same thing about Myers.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 9:23 AM.
