KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Salvador Perez tied the Royals’ home run record and Lane Thomas hit the tie-breaking, two-run single in the seventh to lift Kansas City to a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
Perez hit his 14th home run of the season and 317th of his career, tying George Brett’s franchise record in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro spoke emotionally about Perez after the Royals’ win.
“I love this guy. What he does, the way he does it, the passion with which he plays the game, it’s second to none,” he said. “This guy is a Hall of Famer and you’re about to witness it.”
| Player | HR |
|---|---|
| Salvador Perez | 317 |
| George Brett | 317 |
| Mike Sweeney | 197 |
| Amos Otis | 193 |
| Alex Gordon | 190 |
| — ESPN Research | |
Kansas City right-hander Seth Lugo (4-6) held the Giants scoreless until the sixth inning, when he gave up his first walk and struck out the next batter. The runners advanced on a Drew Cavanaugh sacrifice bunt, and Luis Arraez drove a sacrifice bunt to center on the first run of the game.
The Giants (42-60) struck again in the seventh with an RBI triple from Yung Hu Lee and an RBI double from Willie Adames to extend the lead. Lugo left after the inning, giving up three hits and two walks. He also had five strikeouts.
Kansas City’s Vinny Pasquantino extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a double in the seventh. He was declared safe after he slipped past the bag. The call was confirmed and Giants manager Tony Vitello was ejected after challenging the call.
In his next at-bat, Perez hit his record-breaking homer. That meant the end of right-hander Landen Rupp’s day. He allowed four hits and two runs and struck out seven.
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The Royals (43-60) tied the game with three straight singles, the third by pinch-hitter Nick Loftin. Kansas City loaded the bases with two outs and Thomas’ single to right center scored two.
Royals closer Steven Cruz gave up a home run with two outs but struck out the final batter to earn his first career save.
San Francisco lefty Sam Hentges (1-3) took the loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.