How Salvador Perez steadied the Royals (& closer Lucas Erceg) in Game 1 Wild Card win

If you wanted to know why Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez earned his team captaincy, look no further than the ninth inning of Tuesday’s American League Wild Card game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Perez halted play in the ninth inning with closer Lucas Erceg in a high-pressure situation. Erceg had just walked Orioles infielder Ryan O’Hearn on six pitches. O’Hearn represented the tying run.

Baltimore star Adley Rutschman was up next. One swing could’ve ended the game, and Perez wanted to remind Erceg of the team’s belief in him.

“He was basically checking me,” Erceg said. “He said, ‘Are you good? Let’s go. Like, come on, this is it.’ So he kind of locked me back in and got me back in the zone.”

Erceg rebounded and struck out Rutschman on six pitches. He fed him a steady diet of four-seam fastballs and changeups. Rutschman fouled off a pair before being caught looking on a 92.5-mph changeup at the bottom of the strike zone.

Later, Erceg retired Orioles rookie Colton Cowser and pinch-hitter Heston Kjerstad to end the game.

It was his first postseason save. The Royals also tallied their first road postseason shutout in franchise history.

“He kind of helped me settle in a little bit,” Erceg said of Perez after the game.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro praised Perez for understanding the moment. Perez is known for lending a helping hand whenever a situation arises. He frequently does a mound visit either from his catching position or at first base.

The Royals have leaned on Perez this season. The club reiterated a desire to get Perez back into the playoffs this week. Now, they want to help him win another World Series for all he has meant to Kansas City.

“He understands his role on this team as a leader,” Quatraro said. And he just doesn’t just go out there to go out there. He goes out there when he has something to say and understands that he can make a difference. … You know, he is a tremendous person and a tremendous leader. But in those instances, that’s the guy we want out there to understand what’s happening.”

The Royals will look to advance to the ALDS on Wednesday afternoon. KC right-hander Seth Lugo draws the Game 2 start at 3:38 p.m. Central on ESPN.

“Every win is super important, but to get the first one, you know, kind of puts us in the driver’s seat,” Erceg said. “So we’re going to put our foot on the gas and not look back. We are going to finish this thing strong no matter what.”