Nick Loftin and Salvador Perez hit late-inning home runs as Royals rally to beat Tigers 3-2

DETROIT (AP) — Nick Loftin hit a tie-breaking home run in the ninth inning as the Kansas City Royals rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

The Royals trailed 2-1 going into the seventh, when Salvador Perez hit his franchise-record 318th home run to tie the game. The homer broke the mark set by George Brett, who held the record for 40 years.

Hao-Yu Lee homered, doubled and drove in two runs for the Tigers, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games, but Detroit's winning streak ended at three.

Neither starter was involved in the decision. Kansas City's Michael Wacha allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings, while Casey Mize gave up one run on three hits in six innings.

The teams traded solo runs in the second. A sacrifice fly by KC's Michael Massey scored Vinnie Pasquantino in the top of the inning before Riley Greene doubled and scored on Lee’s double in the bottom of the inning.

Lee homered in the fourth to put the Tigers ahead, but Perez led off the seventh with his 401-foot homer off Kyle Finnegan.

Perez came up again in the eighth, this time with runners on first and third with two out, but grounded into a forceout at second.

Loftin later hit his fifth homer of the season, going deep off Jacob Waguespack (0-1) with one out.

Greene led off the ninth with a single off Daniel Lynch IV (4-2), and Royals manager Matt Quatraro brought in former Tigers closer Alex Lange.

Lange struck out Lee, and after Zach McKinstry singled to right to put runners on the corners with one out, Lange struck out Matt Vierling before retiring pinch-hitter Spencer Torkelson to earn his 10th save.

The teams finish their four-game series on Sunday, with Tigers LHP Framber Valdez (5-7, 5.47 ERA) starting against a Royals opener.

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Detroit Tigers' Hao-Yu Lee hits a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez, center, is doused by teammates following a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Kansas City Royals designated hitter Salvador Perez, center, is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Kansas City Royals' Nick Loftin is congratulated after hitting a home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dangerously hot weather will expand across much of the central United States this weekend and into next week, pushing temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) from Dallas to North Dakota with roughly 70 million people facing heat advisories.

A heat dome, where atmospheric conditions trap heat, will create sustained high temperatures and accumulating discomfort. Overnight low temperatures aren’t expected to come down enough for people to have much chance to recover, allowing heat stress to build as the bad weather lingers, forecasters said. The high humidity will make it feel even worse.

A huge stretch of the country will endure the oppressive midsummer weather. It will stretch from the desert Southwest to the Gulf Coast, reaching up into the Midwest and Great Plains. Some records around the Denver area may be broken, forecasters said. Temperatures are expected to be 10 F to 15 F (5.6 to 8.3 C) above what’s normal.

“It looks like it is going to be pretty much stationary in that position as we go through the week,” said Bob Oravec, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Places under a National Weather Service extreme heat warning included western Nebraska, where temperatures Saturday and Sunday were forecast to reach 108 F (42 C).

At the Museum of the Fur Trade near Chadron, Nebraska, there were fewer visitors than usual for this time of year. Meanwhile, fur hats and pelts in the gift shop weren’t selling so hot.

“I’m sure no one would be willing to wear it on a day like this,” said museum employee Hannah Lovelace. Loose-fitting, period-correct fabric shirts, on the other hand, remained popular sellers among folks headed to historical frontier re-enactments called rendezvous, she said.

The region's heat was forecast to continue through the week, with temperatures topping 100 F (37 C) even in normally moderate areas of Montana and Wyoming.

There might be some relief in the central United States toward next weekend, but even that might be temporary, said Oravec.

Some areas will be spared. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast should avoid the extreme heat, as will much of the Pacific Northwest.

This is the latest miserable stretch of weather during a summer that has already had a lot of it. The eastern United States endured an unbearably hot early July that forced communities to cancel Independence Day celebrations and disrupted the country's 250th anniversary. Another heat wave in mid-July hit the Southwest and Great Plains. It’s not just the United States. A heat wave in June devastated Europe; France recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during this period.

Fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 on Sunday will be offered water refill stations and places to get cool. Packed coolers are allowed. In Denver, recreation centers will set aside areas for people to get out of the heat and in front of air conditioning.

This heat dome will be dangerous. Children and the elderly, along with those with medical conditions, are especially at risk of serious conditions including heat stroke. The basics are important: people should seek out air conditioning or a cooling center and make sure they drink enough water and limit time under the direct sun.

The weather will shift somewhat through the week with the worst pockets of heat becoming particularly severe across Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast by Wednesday.

It can be difficult to know exactly how climate change contributes to particular events in real time. But rising carbon dioxide levels from burning fossil fuels makes it more likely that hotter weather becomes more frequent and extreme, according to Andy Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, a climate change communications nonprofit.

“We are experiencing exactly what the climate models in the 1990s said we should experience now. That is more frequent, more severe heat waves, bigger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher overnight temperatures,” Pershing said. “These are all part and parcel of the climate story.”

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed.

Jake the Asian elephant takes a dip in a pool at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance as daytime high temperatures soared toward the triple-digit mark Friday, July 24, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Beach goers watch during the the 46th Annual California Surf Lifesaving Championships on Will Rogers State Beach Friday, July 24, 2026, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)