‘Those are instincts’: Royals’ Salvador Perez used sublime slide to avoid being tagged
Royals catcher Salvador Perez has won five Gold Glove Awards, and a big reason for his stellar defense is his agility.
Although he is 6 foot 3 and 275 pounds, Perez has an ability to pounce on baseballs hit in front of the plate like a cat capturing an insect (or a feather toy).
During the Royals’ 6-4 win over the Dodgers at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday, Perez showed off that dexterity while scoring on a sacrifice fly.
Perez was at third base in the first inning when Samad Taylor lifted a fly to right field. The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts made a solid throw home, but Perez used a great slide to avoid the tag of catcher Will Smith.
“Those are instincts,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said before Sunday’s game. “... I don’t think anyone’s talked to Salvy about sliding headfirst into home. Maybe more of a fall, but sliding has become an art without being able to block the plate.”
Quatraro has been impressed with the variety of slides players have used to avoid a tag. And that goes for more than just the plate.
Most of the great slides, like Perez’s, are the result of the player improvising in the moment.
“When you watch guys at second with the swim moves because certain players dropped their knee or their foot in front of the base, they’re just trying to not get hurt or avoid the tag,” Quatraro said. “And the oven mitt (glove) ... their hand can slide further or more quickly, I should say. So it’s more of an art, but I don’t think it’s something anybody’s talking too much about education wise.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2023 at 12:13 PM with the headline "‘Those are instincts’: Royals’ Salvador Perez used sublime slide to avoid being tagged."
