Fastball

Kansas City Royals Star Passes Hall of Fame Catcher in Baseball History

The Kansas City Royals lost on Monday night, but Salvador Perez still found a way to make some baseball history.

Brady Farkas

Kansas City Royals first baseman Salvador Perez (13) celebrates after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on Sept 8.
Kansas City Royals first baseman Salvador Perez (13) celebrates after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on Sept 8. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
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The Kansas City Royals lost to the New York Yankees 10-4 on Monday night at Yankee Stadium. With the loss, the Royals are now 79-66 on the season. They are still 2.5 games up on the Minnesota Twins for the second American League wild card spot, and they are also 5.5 games up on the teams that are fighting to get into the playoffs.

With a 79-66 record and 17 games to play, the Royals are still in a good position to make their first playoffs since 2015.

Though they lost, Royals catcher Salvador Perez still found a way to make some baseball history by going 4-for-4 with a home run. He now has 26 homers and 98 RBI.

Per @StatsCentre on social media:

Most home runs - (Primary) catcher within their first 13 career seasons:
378- Mike Piazza (1992-04)
332- Johnny Bench (1967-79)
284- Yogi Berra (1946-58)
272- @Royals Salvador Perez (2011-24 via 1 so far tonight against NYY)
271- Gary Carter (1974-86)
263- Brian McCann (2005-17)

Considering Carter is a Hall of Famer, that's a heck of a name for Perez to pass. It shows just how good he's been in his career and he's bordering on a Hall of Fame career himself.

One of the most consistent performers of the last decade, Perez is in that 13th big-league season. He helped the Royals win the World Series back in 2015 and is a nine-time All-Star. He's also won five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. He's hitting .275 this season.

The Royals and Yankees will play again on Tuesday night.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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