KANSAS CITY -- George Brett and Salvador Perez: They’re the two faces that have defined the two best eras of Royals baseball across the 58-season history of this club.
Now, they share a record.
The two-run home run Perez hit in the seventh inning of the Royals’ 5-4 win over the Giants on Wednesday was Perez’s 317th of his career, matching George Brett’s record for most home runs in franchise history, a number that has stood since Brett retired in 1993 and would only be broken if Kansas City found another icon to play here his whole career.
They found that player in Perez. The Valencia, Venezuela, native signed with this organization at 16 years old, worked his way to the Major Leagues at 21 years old in 2011 and has been here since as the heart and soul of so many Royals teams. Perez is a nine-time All-Star, a five-time Gold Glove Award winner, a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, the 2015 World Series MVP, the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award winner and the fourth captain in Royals history.
With Vinnie Pasquantino on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday, Perez launched a sinker a Statcast-projected 437 feet out to the fountains in right-center field at Kauffman Stadium.
Perez watched it fly, and once it landed over the fence, he raised his right arm in the air and celebrated as he rounded the bases. The crowd at The K erupted, and so did his teammates. Once Perez crossed home plate, he made his way through the dugout, congratulated by every person in there, and then stepped back out onto the field to acknowledge the crowd for a curtain call.
By matching Brett, Perez became only the third active player to own his current team’s all-time home run record, joining Mike Trout (422 with the Angels) and Manny Machado (216 with the Padres). Perez’s 317 home runs are the third most among active players who have hit all their home runs with the same team, trailing only Trout and Aaron Judge (385 with the Yankees).
Perez’s next long ball will be historic, when he breaks the tie with Brett. For now, the two stand together atop the list. And there are no two better players that have represented Kansas City so well through the decades.
“I don’t want any of my records to be broken, to be honest with you,” Brett said. “But he’s a home run hitter -- that record is going to be broken, there’s no doubt in my mind. It just means that he’s been here for a long time, he’s been a very productive player, and if anybody was going to break it, I’m glad it’s him.”