Royals Star Had Heated Response To Bobby Witt Jr. Drama Vs. Diamondbacks

Catcher Salvador Perez has been the heart and soul of the Kansas City Royals for a long time. But even he admits that shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is the team's best player.

So when Witt had a chance to hit for the cycle during Monday's contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks but was instead hit by a pitch, Perez was not pleased.

“I don’t like the way it looks, honest to you guys,” Perez told reporters after the game, via MLB.com's Anne Rogers . “Three-for-three, trying to get a hit for the cycle.

“I’m going to have Junior’s back.”

Perez had Witt's back by yelling toward the field from the dugout after the hit-by-pitch.

But then things escalated further when Royals pitcher John Schreiber hit Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno the next inning.

After both teams received warnings, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo argued with the home plate umpire. He also called over Perez while making his point.

Perez still appeared very upset. But ironically, Lovullo was trying to tell the Royals leader that the Diamondbacks didn't hit Witt on purpose.

“What I said was: 'If you think in your right mind that I was going to ask our team to hit the future of Major League Baseball, one of the best players in Major League Baseball, you’re crazy,'” Lovullo said . “And you’ve lost control of this situation. And you got it wrong. That’s what I said to [home-plate umpire] Jordan Baker, and I wanted Salvy to hear that. I wanted him to take it back to their dugout and make sure that he understood that that’s how I felt. And that’s how I feel about Bobby Witt Jr. He’s an unbelievable player.”

Lovullo received an ejection for his outburst.

The Royals and Diamondbacks will play two more games this season on Tuesday and Wednesday.