KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There’s still three games left in the current homestand. If Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez’s assault on the Kauffman Stadium fountains continues, they’ll have to start handing out fishing nets called “Salvy Skimmers” to collect the baseballs he deposits in the water beyond the outfield wall.
Once again with the Royals and Toronto Blue Jays fighting to score, Perez stepped to the plate and changed the outlook of the day with one swing.
Saturday evening, he did it with a walk-off solo home run into the fountains to give the Royals a doubleheader split.
Sunday, Perez broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning with a two-run homer to left-center on the first pitch of his at-bat against Blue Jays reliever T.J. Zeuch.
Perez’s fifth home run of the season eased the tension of the Royals having been on the cusp of breaking the game open all day without delivering the one crucial blow.
On a day when their pitching was lights out, the Royals held on for a 2-0 win over the Blue Jays in front of an announced crowd of 9,042 Sunday afternoon.
The win also gave the Royals (9-5) the four-game series victory.
Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer pitched six scoreless and allowed just two hits, including an infield single. He walked three and struck out six in a no decision. In his previous start, Singer allowed four runs, but just one earned run.
Monday’s scheduled starter Danny Duffy is the only other Royals starter to throw at least six scoreless innings in a start this season.
Kyle Zimmer (1-0) picked up the win in relief, while veteran reliever Greg Holland retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his second save.
