Salvador Pérez tied the Kansas City Royals’ all-time home run record on July 22, 2026. His 317th homer — a two-run shot that traveled 437 feet in the seventh inning against the Giants — put him level with George Brett, who had held that mark alone for 40 years.
The Royals won the game 5-4, completing a three-game sweep of San Francisco. Pérez supplied the kind of contact he’s been delivering since his MLB debut on August 10, 2011 — the same kid who signed with the organization out of Valencia, Venezuela, at 16 years old back in 2007.
The number that didn’t move for four decades
Brett set 317 as his final Royals home run total on April 9, 1986. No one had reached it since. Entire generations of Kansas City fans grew up watching that number sit exactly where Brett left it. Pérez moved it with one swing.
What makes the context impossible to ignore: Pérez got there in 1,802 games. Brett needed 2,707. Same record, 905 fewer games. That gap isn’t a footnote — it reflects how consistently Pérez has produced power from a position that historically doesn’t produce franchise home run leaders.
One of eight catchers ever to reach 300 MLB home runs
Only eight starting catchers in major league history have hit 300 home runs. Pérez is one of them. At 36 years old, he already has 14 home runs in 2026 and shows no signs of slowing down.
The full résumé fills out the picture:
- 9 All-Star selections
- 5 Gold Gloves
- 5 Silver Slugger Awards
- 2015 World Series MVP
Pérez isn’t chasing Brett’s record as a late arrival. He’s been the anchor of this franchise for a decade and a half.
One home run away from standing alone
The tie is today’s headline, but the story isn’t finished. Pérez needs just one more home run to pass Brett outright and become the Royals’ all-time home run leader — no co-owner, no asterisk.
Brett is widely regarded as the greatest player in Royals history. Pérez tying him doesn’t change that — what it does is add a second name to a conversation that, until July 22, 2026, had only ever had one. The next Pérez home run opens a brand-new chapter.
