Salvador Perez is not fast.

In fact, the Kansas City Royals catcher/designated hitter is one of the slowest runners in Major League Baseball.

As of Sunday, Perez ranked 532nd among 536 baserunners in MLB with an average sprint speed of 23.7 ft/sec. For reference, Athletics outfielder Henry Bolte ranks first in the Majors, covering 30.5 ft/sec.

Yet, Perez still managed to record his first stolen base since July 21, 2021, on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers.

The 36-year-old slid safely into second base without a throw from Tigers catcher Eduardo Valencia. It was Perez's first stolen base at Kauffman Stadium since July 20, 2017.

“That feels even better than a home run,” Perez told MLB.com's Anne Rogers. “It took me five years to steal one bag.”

In addition to the swiped bag, Perez added a celebration, paying homage to his former speedy Royals teammate Jarrod Dyson.

“The umpires told me, ‘Why did you slide that far from the base?’” Perez said in his conversation with Rogers. “I’m trying to get to the base quicker, I think!”

Perez's steal helped the Royals put together a five-run second inning in their 11-7 victory against the Tigers. Kansas City has won eight consecutive games and nine of its last 10.

Clinching an American League Wild Card spot is far-fetched, but not out of the question.

Entering Monday night, the Royals are 7.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL Wild Card spot, with 30 games remaining on their schedule.