If you spent any time around Kansas City over the last two decades, George Brett's name was bolted to every significant offensive record the franchise owned. The Royals all-time home run record belonged to him, 317 of them hit in a Kansas City uniform, and nobody had come close to touching it.

Salvador Perez just did. He hit his 318th career home run, breaking Brett's franchise record and taking sole possession of the top spot. Sporting News has the full breakdown, and it's worth your time.

The fact that a catcher broke this record tells you something. Perez squats behind the plate for over 120 games a year and takes the kind of punishment that breaks most players down by their early 30s. The position eats people alive. The knees go, the back stiffens up, the bat speed vanishes somewhere around year ten. For a catcher to climb to the top of a franchise home run list, let alone one held by a player of Brett's stature, is remarkable.

What makes this record matter is the continuity. Perez has spent his entire career in Kansas City. In an era where players change uniforms every few years and loyalty gets lip-serviced more than it gets practiced, he stayed. He became the face of a franchise that went from World Series champions to some rough seasons and is now clawing its way back toward relevance. That counts for something. That counts for a lot, actually.

The Royals have had some lean years since that 2015 championship. You know it, I know it, and Salvy has lived it every day behind the plate. But he kept showing up, kept swinging, kept being the guy the young players in the clubhouse looked to when things got sideways. And now he's got the franchise home run record to go with the ring.

One legend's name replacing another's on the top of a record book. The game moves forward, and the past makes the present richer. I've been saying that for years, and nights like this are exactly why.