Salvador Perez Passes George Brett - Royals Catcher Is Now the Franchise Home Run King With 318

Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 30, 2023. Photo by Johnmaxmena2 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Salvador Perez hit his 318th career home run on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Detroit, passing Hall of Famer George Brett for the most in Kansas City Royals history. The blast came off Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan and, per ESPN, traveled 401 feet over the left-field wall in the seventh inning, tying the game at 2-2 in a contest the Royals went on to win 3-2. For a 36-year-old catcher who has spent his entire career in one uniform, it was a milestone decades in the making.

Passing a legend, in a fitting place

Brett had held the franchise record for 40 years, and Yahoo Sports and USA TODAY noted that it fell in the same ballpark where Perez hit his first career homer as a rookie in August 2011. Perez had tied the mark on Wednesday against the Giants, then went two games without a home run before finally clearing the wall in Detroit. Nick Loftin added a solo shot in the ninth and Michael Wacha turned in seven strong innings, per ESPN, but the night belonged to the man who caught his way into the record book.

A career built in Kansas City

Perez debuted with the Royals in 2011 and has repeatedly signed extensions to stay, becoming a nine-time All-Star along the way, according to Yahoo Sports. He shares another honor with Brett, helping lead Kansas City to the 2015 World Series title, three decades after Brett’s era delivered the franchise’s first championship. The home run was Perez’s 15th of the season, the 11th consecutive full season he has reached that plateau.

Where he ranks

Brett set the old franchise record in 1986 with his 194th home run, topping Amos Otis, per USA TODAY. Behind them on the Royals list sit longtime first baseman Mike Sweeney, third with 197, and Alex Gordon, fifth with 190. Perez’s power has been prolific in bursts, including a career-high 48 homers in 2021 that led the majors along with 121 RBIs, and a 30-homer, 100-RBI season in 2025 at age 35. Remarkably, 242 of his home runs have come as a catcher.

Where it stands

Perez has largely ceded catching duties to Carter Jensen and is eligible for free agency after this season, according to Yahoo Sports, which adds a note of uncertainty to how much longer he stacks homers in Royals blue. For now, though, the number reads 318 and climbing, and the franchise home run crown that belonged to a Hall of Famer for four decades sits with its longtime catcher.

References: Salvador Perez tops George Brett for Royals home run record | Perez passes Brett with 318th homer as a Kansas City Royal