Royals Defeat Phillies 7-4 in Opener

The Kansas City Royals defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 in a pivotal game, with Salvador Perez hitting a two-run homer and achieving his 900th career RBI. Perez's performance was inspired by a Wiffle ball game he played with children the previous day. The Royals scored five runs in the third inning, with contributions from Hunter Renfroe and Vinnie Pasquantino, enhancing their playoff prospects as they close in on first-place Cleveland in the A.L. Central. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha improved his record to 11-6, extending his winning streak to seven games. The Phillies struggled, with pitcher Taijuan Walker suffering his fifth loss of the season after allowing six runs in just three innings. The Royals now sit in a strong position for the wild card, leading the Boston Red Sox by 4.5 games.