Salvador Perez, Yuli Gurriel and Tommy Pham made an impact against the Yankees

KANSAS CITY — When a team completes a rebuild, you’ll find any number of young players who have come through the system and are ready to win. But look a little deeper at the squad and you’ll find plenty of players who have been there and done that – and they’re just as important as the kids.

Salvador Perez has made it his mission to help his younger teammates and give them advice about the energy and environment of postseason baseball. Adding the extensive playoff experience of Yuli Gurriel and Tommy Pham to Perez’s notable membership with the 2014 and 2015 Kansas City clubs, which played well into October, created a foundation to calm the young stars hold and concentrate on one game at a time.

“I think it helps a little bit to get some good hitting skills from the veterans that have been in the postseason,” Perez said. “Anything I can get help from an experienced man is good to me. But I think it’s good. Anything that helps.”

Many of the young players, including shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and starter Cole Ragans, have had conversations with Perez about the postseason and what to expect. Gurriel and Pham were also active in giving their teammates advice from their perspective.

“I talked to a lot of them because the regular season is so different from the playoffs,” Gurriel said in Spanish. “You know there’s a lot more expectations and a lot more pressure. I try to show them that they should just have fun and not put too much pressure on it so that everything turns out well.”

Just consider their resumes: Perez, of course, will forever be remembered as one of the key contributors to the team’s run to the 2015 World Series. Guirrel won two World Series with the Astros (2017, 2022), while Pham appeared in five postseasons with five different teams.

It’s no surprise that they found themselves in the middle of the Royals’ fourth-inning rally that gave them the Game 2 win.

“If you go out there and do it after you speak, everyone else will just follow suit,” Pham said. “And I believe it. It’s not that easy. It’s easier said than done, trust me. But it’s a nice feeling when you can do it.”

“I knew Yuli from watching him on the other side of the field and I always respected him as a hitter,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He was an incredibly tough guy. We got him to a point where he hadn’t played for a few weeks. We didn’t know what to expect, other than the fact that everything we had heard about him as a person and as a teammate was unimaginable – as he worked his way back to health with his hamstring problem. His hitting was phenomenal and what it means for us is that we can put a really good bat behind Salvy.”

And about Pham: “Tommy, I knew for a fact that I would like it here. Because of his competitive spirit, the fact that we were right in a playoff race, and the fact that he was going to hit consistently, I had no doubt that the guys would see the type of competitors that he did [is] and the worker [he is] and that he would fit right in.”

As the younger bats work to regain fitness, they can rest assured that the veterans will have their backs because they’ve been through this before.

“Once we all start clicking, it’ll be fun,” Pham said after Monday’s game. “But no, there will be times when the team needs us veterans to build the team. Tonight was just one of those moments.”

Lugo prepares for Game 3; Wacha was announced as the starter for Game 4
Seth Lugo will start Wednesday’s Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees, the first postseason game in Kansas City since 2015. Michael Wacha will get the ball for Game 4.

“It was great,” Lugo said. “[The fans] bring a lot of energy. I look forward to seeing a full house tomorrow. I’m curious to see how loud it gets. They have had our backs all year and without them we couldn’t be where we are.”

Lugo last faced the Yankees on September 10, when he pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 10 batters and allowing just three hits. He said the goal Wednesday was to focus on the game and make shots like he did in the last game against New York.

Lugo made his postseason return on October 2 in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Orioles. He pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed one run off five hits.