In 17 days without Salvador Perez, the Royals won six baseball games and lost nine. They lost 3 1/2 games in the American League Central race, and they dropped out of a wild-card spot, and inside the manager’s office, the weeks piled up and the time felt like an eternity.
Ned Yost tried to preach patience. Tried to exercise caution. Tried to inspire optimism and resolve. But on an afternoon in Oakland eight days ago, he sat inside a clubhouse office and pondered life without his All-Star catcher.
“It seems like it’s been a year since he got hurt,” Yost said.