Salvador Pérez broke the single-season home run record for primary catchers that's stood for a half-century as he walloped No. 46 against Cleveland on Monday
Reds backstop Johnny Bench set the record in 1970 at age 22 with 38 of his home runs coming as a catcher. Pérez tied it by hitting his 45th of the season (and 15th as a designated hitter) on Sept. 16 against Oakland.
The 31-year-old is now tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the majors home run lead. Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani enters Monday night with 45 dingers in 2021.
Pérez is the sixth catcher ever to hit at least 40 home runs in a single season, joining the likes of Mike Piazza, Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Javy Lopez.
