Former Royal Brett Phillips, now of the Tampa Bay Rays, returned to his former KC stomping grounds Monday night, which meant it was time for Salvador Perez to finally pay up. To pay off his debt for losing a Super Bowl bet to Phillips, the All-Star catcher showed up to Monday’s batting practice in a Tom Brady Buccaneers jersey. Perez, whose many years playing in Kansas City have made him a diehard Chiefs fan, didn’t seem overly enthused to be wearing the jersey of his arch-nemesis, reiterating his undying allegiance to Patrick Mahomes on his way to BP.
Brady, still on the mend following his recent knee surgery (and obviously with plenty of time on his hands), was made aware of the slight and quickly clapped back on social media.
Despite entering the game as three-point underdogs, the Buccaneers obliterated the Chiefs (who were down two of their starting offensive lineman including All-Pro right tackle Mitchell Schwartz), becoming the first team to win the Super Bowl on their home field. Hobbled by a lingering foot injury, Mahomes was a shell of himself against Tampa, submitting a career-worst 52.3 passer rating in the losing effort.
That couldn’t have been an enjoyable viewing experience for Perez, though the 30-year-old from Venezuela has gotten off to a phenomenal start this season, pacing the Royals in both home runs (five) and RBI (11). Phillips, however, hasn’t hit a lick since his star turn last fall, hitting a dismal .100 to begin the year with nine strikeouts in 24 plate appearances. That’s not ideal, but at least Phillips knew not to bet against the greatest quarterback of all-time.
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