Sep 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Salvador Perez and the Kansas City Royals slugged their way to an 10-3 win over Aaron Nola and the Phillies Sunday, preventing them from getting a win that would have secured their second consecutive NL East title.
Kyle Schwarber, as he's prone to do in big games, got the Phillies on the board first with an opposite-field home run in the bottom of the first inning:
Was there any doubt Kyle Schwarber was going to set the tone in a big game? 5️⃣2️⃣
pic.twitter.com/ypZorQ8E70
For Schwarber, it was his 52nd home run of the season, putting him six away from Ryan Howard's single-season franchise record.
Two batters later, J.T. Realmuto hit a homer of his own, a 380-foot shot that gave the Phillies an early 2-0 lead:
J.T. Realmuto gives the Phillies a 2-0 lead! 💥
pic.twitter.com/YScRzUzskF
Nola cruised through the first four innings, allowing just one hit. However, rookie Jac Caglianone deposited a hanging knuckle curve into the seats to tie the game in the top of the fifth inning:
Jac Caglianone ties the game for the @Royals with a 2-run jack 😤 pic.twitter.com/zVV40skd1i
And then in the sixth, things really unraveled for Nola and the Phillies. Bobby Witt Jr. led off with a triple off the right field wall, which probably should have been a double but Nick Castellanos played it so poorly. It didn't really end up mattering, though, because Vinnie Pasquantino quickly doubled Witt in. Perez then followed a Maikel García single with a three-run home run, his third homer in a two-game span:
Salvador Perez. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zUM8H2AI3R
What once looked like a very promising start for Nola turned into yet another clunker in what's been a disastrous season for the longest-tenured Phillie. Nola allowed six hits and six earned runs over six innings, with his ERA now sitting at an unsightly 6.44 after 15 starts this season.
In the top of the seventh inning, Perez drove in two more runs, this on an RBI single off of Tim Mayza.
Bryson Stott did homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Witt returned the favor with a solo shot off of Maz Lazar in the top of the ninth, quelling any thoughts of a late-game comeback. Before the inning was out, Tyler Tolbert also added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly.
The Phillies still could have clinched the NL East if the Mets had lost to the Texas Rangers, but New York won in extra innings via a Pete Alonso walk-off home run.
Despite the loss, it was still an overwhelmingly successful homestand for the Phillies, who swept out the Mets in four games and took two of three from the Royals. At 89-61, they are going to win the NL East, and in prime position to secure a first-round bye, be it as the No. 2 or No. 1 seed in the senior circuit. The clinch of both a playoff spot and their second consecutive NL East title just won't happen via a win at home.
In fact, if you want to see the Phillies clinch the division (if it doesn't happen via Mets loss), be prepared to not get much sleep. The Phillies are going to play the next three nights at Dodger Stadium, with first pitch in the trio of tilts scheduled for 10:10 ET.
