Royals’ Salvador Perez matched MLB feat that only Willie Mays accomplished
After the Royals finished their doubleheader sweep of the Rockies on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium, the players left a memento in the dugout.
It was catcher Salvador Perez’s belt, which broke when he was sliding into second after hitting a double.
FanDuel Sports Kansas City’s Joel Goldberg snapped a photo of the belt:
The Royals once kept a praying mantis in their dugout, so it wouldn’t be a shock if Salvy’s belt remains on display. By the way, kudos to outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who gave up his belt temporarily to Perez after the wardrobe malfunction.
You could say the broken belt was why Perez had such a great day on Thursday when he had five hits, including four doubles. But the truth is, Perez thrives whenever the Royals play a doubleheader.
Dave Holtzman, a baseball information and communication strategist in the Royals’ baseball operations department, noted Perez’s career OPS in a twinbill is among the best in history.
We didn’t know it at the time, but Perez made history Thursday with his big game.
Opta Stats shared this gem of a stat:
“Since the start of 2024, there have been 2 instances of an MLB player having multiple XBH in each game of a doubleheader. Both were by the Royals‘ Salvador Perez (8/26/2024 & yesterday).
“He’s the first player to accomplish the feat 2 years in a row since Willie Mays (1960-61).”
That’s elite company for Perez. Perhaps we should change the “Talkin’ Baseball” song lyric to say “Willie, Salvy and The Duke.”
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 10:28 AM.
