Salvador Perez Went Full Send With A Giant WBC Tattoo After Venezuela’s Title

Salvador Perez celebrated Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic title by making sure it will never come off his skin.

The Royals captain sat through a four-hour tattoo session with artist Luis Gil — not THAT Luis Gil — to put Venezuela’s 2026 WBC championship on his left thigh.

That’s not exactly how a guy treats a so-called "meaningless exhibition."

READ: WBC Finale Crushes Ratings, Becomes Most-Watched Game Ever

Perez turned the biggest international moment of his career into permanent ink and, in the process, made a strong statement about what the World Baseball Classic has become. 

Salvy already had a World Series ring. He already had the October resume. Now he has a giant reminder on his leg that, for plenty of international stars, wearing the flag hits differently.

Salvador Perez of team Venezuela celebrates in the locker room after winning the 2026 World Baseball Classic Championship. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

That’s the part critics still miss when they brush off the WBC as spring training with fake stakes. Players clearly don’t see it that way, and neither do fans.

Venezuela’s win over Team USA in the 2026 final drew 10.784 million viewers across FOX and FOX Deportes, with peak viewership reaching 12.15 million. It was the most-watched game in World Baseball Classic history, which is a pretty loud answer for anyone still pretending this tournament is an afterthought. The audience says otherwise, and the players do too.

Perez has said he is saving his back for another Royals championship, which is probably welcome news in Kansas City. 

Salvador Perez of Team Venezuela celebrates after the 2026 World Baseball Classic Championship game. (Photo by Scott Audette/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela