Salvador Perez Makes History, Passing George Brett in Kansas City

The captain of the Royals, Salvador Perez now stands alone at the top of the Kansas City leaderboard. Jose Juarez / Associated Press

After more than 1,800 games played in a Royals uniform, Salvador Perez now stands alone atop Kansas City’s all-time home run leaderboard, his 318th career blast breaking a tie with George Brett.

As Kansas City faced the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Saturday afternoon, Perez took an 84-mph slider deep to left for his history-making homer. The solo shot, off right-hander Kyle Finnegan, came in the seventh inning of an eventual 3-2 Royals win.

“It’s a lot of emotion right now,” Perez said in a postgame interview. “I thank God for everything, my family, my mom, my wife, my kids, all the people helped me. I didn’t know if we were going to make it to this part in my career.”

Perez, who was signed out of Venezuela when he was 16 years old, has played 15 seasons in Kansas City, going from an unheralded prospect to a franchise icon, becoming the club’s captain in 2023. His franchise-record 318th home run is just one of several accolades Perez has achieved.

A nine-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner, five-time Silver Slugger and one-time Roberto Clemente Award winner, Perez helped lead the Royals to their second World Series title in 2015 and first since 1985. His .846 OPS, coupled with catching all but one of every inning of the five-game series earned him World Series MVP honors. Perez is just one of seven catchers to take home MVP honors for the Fall Classic.

“The guy’s a Hall of Famer, and you’re getting to witness it,” manager Matt Quatraro told reporters after Perez tied Brett.

A backstop by trade, Perez has shifted more to a primary DH role, with some added responsibilities at first and occasional catching duties. He has one year remaining on the two-year, $25 million pact he signed with Kansas City in November 2025. That deal replaced a club option the organization had on Perez and ensures that he will be a career Royal.

Next season, Perez will turn 37.

Quatraro on Saturday lauded Perez’s commitment to both the Royals and the Kansas City community.

“It goes the other way too, the city, the fans, how much they support him,” he said. “It’s just an honor to be part of it and it’s an honor to see him perform. He just keeps coming through in big spots.”

Although he has been mired in the worst offensive season of his career, Perez has found himself a beneficiary of the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. Among players with at least 40 overturned calls, Perez’s win percentage ranks second.

Earlier this season, Perez helped guide his native Venezuela to its first World Baseball Classic title. The catcher received the starting nod from manager Omar Lopez, and unlike the 2015 World Series, was on hand to catch the final inning of the win.

“The World Series is one of the most important championships in the major leagues,” Perez said in Spanish, “but when you fight for your country, that goes beyond. That feeling, the country where you were born and raised, the sacrifices made by our parents, those people that helped us — that’s why this means a lot to me and to Venezuela.”

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