---
title: "Salvador Perez ties George Brett's Royals home run record at 317"
description: "The Kansas City catcher hit his 317th career home run on Wednesday, drawing level with the franchise's most iconic player, Hall of Famer George Brett, atop the club's all-time list. It was his 14th of the season, in a 5-4 win over the Giants. His manager called it a privilege to witness."
category: "Sports"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/sports
author: "Julian Mercado"
published: 2026-07-23T04:44:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-23T04:44:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/salvador-perez-ties-george-bretts-royals-home-run-record-at-317
tags: ["salvador-perez", "kansas-city-royals", "george-brett", "mlb", "baseball"]
---
# Salvador Perez ties George Brett's Royals home run record at 317

The Kansas City catcher hit his 317th career home run on Wednesday, drawing level with the franchise's most iconic player, Hall of Famer George Brett, atop the club's all-time list. It was his 14th of the season, in a 5-4 win over the Giants. His manager called it a privilege to witness.

Salvador Perez has pulled level with a legend. The Kansas City Royals catcher hit the 317th home run of his career on Wednesday, tying George Brett for the most in franchise history, [ESPN reports](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49426984/salvador-perez-ties-george-brett-royals-record-317th-hr).

## The moment

The homer, Perez's 14th of the 2026 season, came in the bottom of the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants. Kansas City went on to win 5-4, with Vinnie Pasquantino extending a hitting streak to 17 games with a double in the same inning and Lane Thomas following with a go-ahead two-run single.

But the number of the night was 317, because of whose name it sits next to.

## Why tying Brett means something

George Brett is not merely the Royals' home run leader; he is the Royals. A Hall of Famer who spent his entire 21-year career in Kansas City, he is the franchise's defining figure, the player around whom its history is organized. To match his home run total is to be measured against the standard the club uses for everything.

Perez has earned the comparison the hard way, from the most demanding position on the field. Home run records are usually the property of corner outfielders and first basemen, players whose bodies are spared the daily grind of catching. Perez has done his damage while crouching behind the plate for more than a decade, which makes 317 a different kind of accomplishment than the same number from a designated hitter.

The gap behind the two leaders underlines it. The next-closest home run hitter in Royals history is Mike Sweeney, at 197, a full 120 back. Perez and Brett occupy a tier the rest of the franchise has not approached.

## What his manager said

Royals manager Matt Quatraro did not reach for restraint. "The guy's a Hall of Famer, and you're getting to witness it," Quatraro said. "I love that guy. What he does, the way he goes about it, the passion he plays the game with, it's unrivaled."

Tying the record leaves the obvious next step: the home run that breaks it, and makes Perez, a catcher, the outright home run king of a franchise defined by George Brett. On current form it is a matter of when, not if, and the Herald will note it when he passes 317 for good.

## Sources

- [Perez ties Brett with 317th HR to match Royals record](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49426984/salvador-perez-ties-george-brett-royals-record-317th-hr)