Struggling ex-SF Giants pitcher makes Royals debut as drama rises in KC

Former SF Giants pitcher Mason Black made his debut with the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. That news was overshadowed by the fact that catcher Salvador Perez openly defied getting benched.

Perez is a veteran who many Giants fans will remember from the 2014 World Series. He made the last out of the series after Madison Bumgarner threw him seemingly hundreds of high fastballs, grunting harder and louder with each successive one until Perez finally popped one up into foul territory that third baseman Pablo Sandoval caught to secure the franchise’s third title in five seasons.

It gives one chills even typing it.

Perez is one of only a couple players from that World Series who are even still playing. The only other one I can think of is Hunter Strickland who is currently in the minor leagues with the Los Angeles Angels.

But Perez was just 24 years old that year. Now he is a 35-year-old veteran who is struggling. He’s batting just .152/.200/.291 on the season and his manager Matt Quatraro benched him for a day so he could have a “mental breather.” Perez took to social media to disagree that he needed one but it now seems manager and catcher are on the same page.

The veteran had a three-hit day on Monday so he should be just fine.

Perez drama overshadows Mason Black making Royals debut

All this drama overshadowed the fact that Mason Black had a nice first outing with Kansas City. He came in for some mop up duty with the Royals down big to the New York Yankees and pitched 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing three hits, one walk, and striking out two.

Black was traded to the Royals by the Giants last season in exchange for Logan Martin after Black was designated for assignment. Things just never quite worked out for Black in San Francisco. 2024 was really his best chance to shine but he struggled to a 6.44 ERA in 9 appearances, 8 of them starts.

Funny enough, his best outing as a Giant came in late 2024 when he pitched 5 and 2/3 scoreless innings against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium so Kansas City saw the best version of him. He had just one appearance in 2025 with the Giants and gave up three earned runs in four innings of work.

He pitched pretty well with Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate this season as he had a 3.86 ERA in 11 and 2/3 innings. He’s probably not the former Giants pitcher traded away in the last year who fans are most worried about turning into a dominant force, though. That worry belongs to Kyle Harrison who is currently dealing for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Still, it will be interesting to see how Black comes along and develops. Sometimes a fresh start is what a pitcher needs to reach their full potential.

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