Royals' Perez Homers With Miggy's Bat, Plans To Call Him For More
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
"I've always said," Royals backup catcher Drew Butera told the Kansas City Star. "Some guys just have magic sticks."
The magic stick he was referring to belonged to Miguel Cabrera, or at least it used to. It's property of Salvador Perez now and he likely won't be giving it back.
Perez used it to hit a game-winning grand slam on Wednesday in the Royals' 6-4 win over the Red Sox.
It was the first grand slam of Perez's career.
"I think I'm gonna use it on Friday, too," Perez said of Cabrera's bat. "What do you guys think?"
Perez came into possession of Miggy's magic stick through Butera. Here's how the story goes, via The Star:
"On the final night of May...reserve catcher Drew Butera picked up a baseball bat near home plate at Kauffman Stadium.
"It was May 31, and the Royals were concluding a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers...The bat belonged to Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers' future Hall of Famer, and Butera immediately loved the feel.
"It was too heavy for him, 32 ounces in all, but perfect to swing during batting practice. So Butera sent word to the Tigers, asking Cabrera if he had an extra bat he could spare. Cabrera sent over two, a parting gift as the Tigers left town, and three weeks later, one of those bats ended up in Perez's locker on Wednesday morning.
"As soon as he came in the clubhouse, he just put it in my locker," Perez said of Butera. "Just like: 'Use it today.'"
Perez took Butera's advice and was suddenly imbued with the powers of his countryman Cabrera. In 46 plate appearances with the bases loaded prior to Wednesday's game, Perez had yet to hit a home run. Cabrera has smacked four grand slams in his career.
"I give away all my good bats," Cabrera told reporters on Wednesday, amid a 2-18 slide at the plate and a generally slow start to the season. He has just seven home runs; Perez has 15.
"When I see him, I'm going to say, 'Give me my bat back,'" said Cabrera.
The Royals will be in Detroit for a three-game series next week.
"I don't want to break that one," Perez said. "I'm gonna call Miggy and (say): 'Hey, you gotta send me some more bats, please.' "
Miggy's current slump didn't stop him from having fun during the Tigers' game against the Mariners on Wednesday night. Watch him share a loving moment with a bushy-bearded fan:
Seattle won 7-5 to hand Detroit its fifth straight loss.
