Salvador Perez Walk-Off, Record 9-Pitcher Shutout Leads Royals Past Braves 1-0

Wednesday, July 30th, 2025

Salvador Perez drove in MJ Melendez with a single leading off the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Atlanta Braves 1-0 on Wednesday, matching a major league record by using nine total pitchers in the shutout.

Sam Long (1-2) was the last of the relievers for Kansas City. He had runners on the corners with nobody out in the 10th before striking out Sean Murphy and Eli White and getting Luke Williams to line out to left field.

Kansas City put Melendez on second base as a pinch runner in the bottom half, and Perez rapped the second pitch from Daysbel Hernandez (4-2) into the gap in right field to give the Royals the win.

The only other club to use nine pitchers in a shutout was Cleveland, which also did it in a 10-inning game in 2016.

Joey Wentz, claimed off waivers by the Braves earlier this month, dazzled while pitching a mere 25 minutes away from Shawnee Mission East High School, where he put together one of the best prep pitching careers in Kansas history.

The former first-round draft pick has largely failed to live up to expectations, and he carried a 5.76 ERA into his fourth start for Atlanta. But Wentz allowed just one hit and three walks over 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven.

With their rotation ailing, the Royals countered with a contingent of relief pitchers.

Angel Zerpa started on no rest and pitched into the second, and Jonathan Bowlan was their only reliever who retired more than three batters — he went two innings. John Schreiber struck out the side in the fourth, and Hunter Harvey escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth by recording three consecutive outs.

Key Moment

Long's escape in the 10th set up Perez's winning hit in the bottom half.

Key Stat

The low-scoring affair came after the Braves won the series-opener 10-7 and the Royals won 9-6 on Tuesday night.

Up Next

Following this game, the Braves' next contest was scheduled for Thursday in Cincinnati, with newly acquired RHP Carlos Carrasco expected to get the start. The Royals had a day off before opening a series Friday night in Toronto.

In summary

In a memorable extra-inning contest on July 30, 2025, the Kansas City Royals defeated the Atlanta Braves 1-0, thanks to a walk-off single by Salvador Perez in the 10th inning. The Royals made history by utilizing nine different pitchers in the shutout victory, matching a major league record. Relief pitcher Sam Long earned the win for Kansas City, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 10th. For the Braves, Joey Wentz delivered an impressive start, pitching 6 2/3 innings of one-hit baseball. This low-scoring game followed two high-scoring matchups earlier in the series.

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