Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) runs to first base after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre on Aug. 2. Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Kansas City Royals Legend Stands Alongside Hall of Famers in Baseball History

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 10:43 AM ET

When he hit his 20th home run of the season earlier this week, Kansas City Royals legend Salvador Perez continued to move up an impressive list in baseball history, as noted by Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

He just set a franchise record with his ninth season hitting at least 20 homers, and now has 293 in his career, third-most for a catcher with a single franchise, trailing only Hall of Famers Johnny Bench (389) and Yogi Berra (358).

Grading the MLB trade deadline with the benefit of hindsight: Who struck out? https://t.co/6dqtOd05Gc
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 17, 2025

(It should be recognized that though this was posted on Sunday morning, Perez now has 22 home runs on the campaign, and 295 for his career).

Being on any list with Bench and Berra is an accomplishment, considering that they are two of the best catchers to ever play the game.

Bench was a 17-year veteran of the Cincinnati Reds who made 14 All-Star Games. He also won 10 Gold Glove Awards, two MVPs and a Rookie of the Year. A two-time World Series champion, he had 2,048 hits and a lifetime OPS of .817.

As for Berra? He spent 19 years with the New York Yankees, earning 18 All-Star appearances and 10 World Series titles. He won three American League MVP Awards, and he even missed two years at the start of his career (1944-1945) for military service.

Perez, 35, has spent all 14 of his seasons with the Royals, hitting the 295 home runs and driving in 985 runs. A nine-time All-Star, he's a five-time Gold Glover and a five-time Silver Slugger. He helped the Royals win the 2015 World Series.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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