By all accounts, Royals star Salvador Perez is one of the good guys in baseball. It’s part of what makes him such a beloved figure in Kansas City.
So, on Wednesday, a fan got a little overzealous when Salvador Perez tied George Brett for the team’s all-time record with his 317th career home run during the seventh inning of the Royals’ 5-4 victory over the Giants.
In an effort to retrieve Perez’s historic home run ball, he dove right into Kauffmann Stadium’s water fountains in right-center field.
Naturally, this sort of behavior is usually frowned upon, and security led the overly enthusiastic fan out of the stadium. Pictures taken by other fans in attendance also revealed that police arrested him.
While that may seem harsh, it is right there in black and white on the Kansas City Royals website.
“If at any time a guest enters a fountain, they will be immediately arrested, transported to the police station downtown and charged to the fullest extent of the law,” it reads.
Salvador Perez didn’t want to see the fan punished
Salvador Perez told reporters after the game that he understood the person’s motivations and that he hoped the police would release him.
“Please, police, just take care of the job, please and send him home. If I was him, I’d maybe jump too and try to get that ball, so please. And thank you for the hard work in trying to get that ball,” Perez said.
Salvador Perez apparently got his wish, and the ball back. According to Fox 4 News, the Kansas City Police Department confirmed the fan’s arrest, writing, “An individual was cited and released for trespassing in the fountain.”
“I love that guy,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters after the game. “What he does, the way he goes about it, the passion he plays the game. It’s unrivaled. The guy’s a Hall of Famer, and you’re getting to witness it.”
What’s not to love? After all, Perez is the same guy who, in 2024, during a Royals day off, cemented his status as the King of KC when, as he was driving through one of the town’s neighborhoods, he stopped to join a group of young boys who were playing wiffle ball.