Salvador Perez is one home run shy of a peculiar major league record, and right now the biggest hindrance is his thumb.
The Royals veteran catcher was out of the lineup Saturday with a sore thumb that has plagued him throughout the final month of the season. The season concludes Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
Perez is hopeful to play in the finale, and if he does, he will be chasing history. If he hits one more bomb, he would become the first major-league player to increase his home-run total in each of his first eight seasons.