On a night when Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez made history, the memorable moment took a backseat to the final outcome.
The Royals — who are desperately clinging to slim playoff hopes — dropped another winnable game 8-6 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
This time, the Royals tried to keep up with the Phillies’ potent offense. And Perez did his part early with two home runs off Phillies starter Taijuan Walker.
Perez’s second homer was historic. He recorded his 1,000th career RBI and became just the eighth primary catcher in Major League Baseball history to reach 300 or more career home runs.
“It feels pretty good,” Perez said. “Feel better if we had won the game tonight.”
The Royals had their chance after scoring early and often. With two outs, Maikel Garcia recorded an RBI single in the first inning and Perez followed with a two-run homer (No. 299) off Walker.
“We get going and we feel good about that,” Quatraro said. “You know, guys put really good at-bats together. Quite a few of those hits were with two strikes as well. So, really quality at-bats.”
However, it seemed the Phillies had an answer at each turn.
Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh hit a two-run double to cut into the lead. Later, Kyle Schwarber hit his 51st home run to tie the game in the fifth. Schwarber finished 2-for-3 with the homer, RBI single and two walks.
“You know, it’s tough. I thought my stuff was good,” Royals starter Ryan Bergert said. “I didn’t have the command tonight and I didn’t go too deep in the game, which I’m kind of disappointed about. I feel like this clubhouse deserves a better start than that. You know, I’m just trying to help out the bullpen.”
The Royals (74-75) dropped below .500 with the loss. Bergert did his best to keep the Phillies from generating a big inning. He allowed three runs in four innings before giving way to the bullpen.
“I mean, it’s a really good lineup from top to bottom,” Bergert said. “You know, a lot of threats. Just got to execute pitches. I didn’t do that to the best of my ability tonight and it showed.”
Bergert left with a lead, but the Phillies quickly took control. Philadelphia hammered reliever Angel Zerpa in the fifth inning. He surrendered three earned runs — including Schwarber’s homer — and three hits. Otto Kemp hit a two-out double as the Phillies extended their lead.
“We lost the lead there,” Quatraro said of Zerpa’s relief appearance. “He gave up the homer on a breaking ball that probably stayed more middle. I don’t know exactly where that was, but he was unable to put guys away. It was really what it came down to.”
The Royals had one final surge in the final innings. Vinnie Pasquantino hit a sacrifice fly as pinch-hitter Tyler Tolbert scored from third in the seventh inning. And Carter Jensen added an RBI single in the eighth.
However, it wasn’t enough as the Phillies (89-60) won the series outright.
KC is now 6 ½ games behind the Seattle Mariners for the final AL wild-card spot. The number could grow higher as the Mariners (80-68) face the Angels later on Saturday night.
The Royals fell below .500 for the first time since Aug. 13. They need to pass at least three teams to reach the postseason.
“We should be celebrating him,” Bobby Witt Jr. said of Perez’s moment coming in defeat. “So yeah, it’s tough.”
Salvy makes history
Perez joined an elite group of MLB catchers on Saturday.
He etched his name alongside Mike Piazza (427 homers), Johnny Bench (389), Carlton Fisk (376), Yogi Berra (358), Gary Carter (324), Lance Parrish (324) and Ivan Rodriguez (311) as the lone catchers with at least 300 career homers.
Six of those players are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Perez also became the 10th active player with 1,000 career RBIs. He joined Phillies star Bryce Harper and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout in doing so this season.
Now, Perez sets his sights on the Royals’ all-time home run list. He trails Hall of Famer George Brett (317 homers).
“I’m going to try my best to get there,” Perez said. “I want to stay here as many years as I can and see what happens.”
What’s next: The Royals conclude their seven-game road trip on Sunday. Left-handed rookie starter Noah Cameron (7-7, 3.00 ERA) will start opposite Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (4-6, 6.24 ERA) at Citizens Bank Park. First pitch is set for 12:35 p.m. Central.