Loftin, Perez homer late as Royals rally past Tigers 3-2

Nick Loftin’s ninth-inning home run gave Kansas City a 3-2 victory over Detroit at Comerica Park, and Salvador Perez’s shot in the seventh had already dragged the Royals back from a 2-1 deficit in a game that lasted 2 hours, 21 minutes. Two swings erased what had been a tight, low-scoring night and turned the final innings into a test of leverage Kansas City passed.

The Royals opened the scoring in the second inning on Michael Massey’s sacrifice fly, but Detroit answered in the same frame when Hao-Yu Lee delivered an RBI double. The Tigers added another run in the fourth and held that edge until Perez changed the game in the seventh, launching his franchise-record 318th home run to break George Brett’s mark that had stood for 40 years. That homer tied it 2-2 and set up Loftin, whose blast in the ninth completed the comeback.

For Kansas City, the win came from both ends of the lineup. Perez supplied the veteran power in a decisive moment, while Loftin, a younger and less established bat, provided the kind of late production that extends innings and keeps a team alive long enough for the heart of the order to matter. In a one-run game, that balance can be more valuable than a single big inning, because it shows the club can score from different spots when the margin is gone.

Daniel Lynch IV earned the win, Jacob Waguespack took the loss and Alex Lange collected the save. The result left Kansas City at 44-62 and Detroit at 50-55, a reminder that even in a season where every victory is hard-earned, close games can still shape how a team survives the final months. For the Royals, this one added a win and a little more bullpen breathing room after a night when the offense was quiet until it mattered most.