Seattle, WA – Salvador Perez delivered a crucial two-run double in the fifth inning, propelling the Kansas City Royals to a 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. The win marks only the second for the Royals in their last ten games, offering a much-needed reprieve.
With the Royals leading 3-1 in the fifth, Perez lofted a fly ball off Mariners pitcher Emerson Hancock (3-5) that eluded center fielder Julio Rodríguez in the twilight sky. The ball dropped for a two-run double, extending Kansas City’s lead to 5-1. Rodríguez had initially climbed the center-field wall, seemingly attempting to rob a home run, but misjudged the ball’s trajectory.
Kansas City initially built a 3-0 lead with Maikel Garcia’s run-scoring single in the first inning and a two-run second that included an RBI double by Nick Loftin, who later scored on a Kyle Isbel forceout. Randy Arozarena responded for the Mariners with his 11th home run of the season, and third in four at-bats, in the bottom half of the second.
The Mariners attempted to rally in the bottom of the fifth, with Ben Williamson hitting an RBI double and scoring on a J.P. Crawford single off Michael Lorenzen. However, the Royals’ bullpen proved resilient, with five relievers combining for 4 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief. Lucas Erceg (3-2) entered a two-on situation in the seventh and skillfully induced a double-play grounder and a subsequent groundout to escape the jam. Carlos Estévez closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning, securing his 23rd save in 26 opportunities.
Angel Zerpa issued a walk to Dylan Moore to start the seventh for Seattle, but Cole Young grounded into a double play, and Crawford grounded out, effectively stifling any further threat.
In a personal milestone, Salvador Perez moved past Alex Gordon for sixth place on the Royals’ all-time hits list, now with 1,646 career hits.
Looking ahead, the Royals and Mariners will continue their four-game set on Wednesday. Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (2-2, 3.55 ERA) is slated to start against Kansas City’s Noah Cameron (2-4, 2.79 ERA). Pregame coverage on Superstar Country 102.5 FM KQNK begins at 8:00 PM CDT, with the first pitch from T-Mobile Park scheduled for 8:40 PM CDT.
