There is a certain poetic symmetry to Salvador Perez’s place in Kansas City Royals history. The veteran catcher hit the first home run of his career at Comerica Park in Detroit back in 2011 — and it was at that very same ballpark on Saturday where he launched his 318th, breaking the franchise’s all-time record.
The milestone came in the seventh inning of a tight contest, with the Royals trailing the Tigers 2-1. Perez stepped up and sent a 401-foot solo shot to left field off right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan, tying the game at 2. Kansas City went on to win 3-2.
The record-breaking home run moved Perez past Hall of Famer George Brett, who belted 317 home runs for the Royals during his legendary career from 1973 to 1993. Like Brett, Perez has spent his entire major league career in Kansas City, having debuted with the club in 2011.
The 36-year-old catcher is hitting .210 this season with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs across 98 games. Over the course of his career, Perez has been honored as a nine-time All-Star and a five-time Gold Glove Award winner at catcher.
In 1,805 games wearing a Royals uniform, Perez has posted a .261 batting average, driven in 1,060 runs, and scored 748 times — numbers that now stand alongside the franchise’s all-time home run crown.
