Perez breaks Bench’s home run record; Royals sweep Indians

Kansas City's Salvador Perez now holds the record for most home runs by a catcher in a season, blasting his 46th Monday in a doubleheader sweep of Cleveland. Royals pitchers, meanwhile, surrendered a combined 10 hits and four runs in the two victories.

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September 21, 2021 - 8:47 AM

Salvador Perez (13) of the Kansas City Royals celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the Cleveland Indians Monday. Perez hit his 46th home run off the season, setting a record for home runs by a catcher. Photo by Ron Schwane / Getty Images / TNS

CLEVELAND (AP) — Salvador Perez hit his 46th home run, breaking Johnny Bench’s record for most by a catcher in a season to highlight the opener, then the Kansas City Royals completed a doubleheader sweep by beating the Cleveland Indians 4-2 Monday night.

Perez hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning of a 7-2 win, topping Bench’s total from 1970 for the highest total by a player who spent at least 75% of his team’s games at catcher.

Perez also moved into a tie for the major league lead in homers with Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Perez leads the majors with 115 RBIs.

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