Salvador Perez kept inching toward Royals history, but it was Nick Loftin who finished the job.
Perez launched a two-run homer Monday night, moving within one of George Brett’s franchise record, and Kansas City edged the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on a walk-off squeeze bunt in the ninth inning. The Royals had let a two-run lead slip away, then answered with a messy, dramatic finish when Loftin dropped down the winning play after replacing Bobby Witt Jr., who left earlier with lingering low back tightness.
Kansas City entered the ninth up 3-1, only to watch San Francisco claw back against Alex Lange. Jung Hoo Lee singled with the Giants down to their final out, and Willy Adames followed by sending a low-and-away pitch the other way and just over the right-field fence to tie it.
The Royals didn’t stay down long. With runners on first and third and one out against Caleb Kilian, Loftin bunted toward charging first baseman Bryce Eldridge, who couldn’t make a clean play to get Josh Rojas at the plate.
Perez had already supplied the night’s biggest swing before that. Down 1-0 in the fourth with a man aboard, he cleared the center-field wall for career homer No. 316, leaving him one shy of Brett’s mark.
Kansas City’s fourth inning kept rolling after that. Trevor McDonald hit Vinnie Pasquantino, Michael Massey doubled to right and later scored on Isaac Collins’ two-out single, turning a one-run deficit into a 3-1 lead.
Michael Wacha gave the Royals exactly what they needed for most of the night. The All-Star allowed just Heliot Ramos’ homer in the fourth, plus two other hits and two walks, while striking out five over six innings. It was Wacha’s 13th quality start of the season, and Kansas City improved to 3-1 on its six-game homestand.
Wacha didn’t give up a hit until Ramos sent one to the fountain deck over the right-field wall.
McDonald was unable to finish his outing for San Francisco. He left before throwing a pitch in the fifth because of right elbow discomfort after allowing three runs, four hits and two walks with three strikeouts on 67 pitches.
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