Salvador Perez is back in the MLB playoffs with the Royals and ready to face the Orioles

BALTIMORE (AP) — Salvador Perez spent some time on the eve of his return to the MLB playoffs catching up with old pals who were his teammates the last time he — and the Kansas City Royals — played beyond the regular season, way back in 2015: Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain.

Perez is not merely the only member of that group on the Royals these days; he's the only one still in the majors.

Asked Monday what it's like to be back in the postseason nearly a decade after earning World Series MVP honors while helping KC win the title, and the only guy from that championship still with the team, the 34-year-old catcher from Venezuela let out a hearty chuckle as he replied, “I feel old.”

It's been a long and difficult path for the Royals to make it to October again and a matchup with the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday. There have been three 100-loss seasons in that span, including a low mark of 56-106 a season ago, and a roster sprinkled with 20-somethings such as AL batting champion Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia and MJ Melendez wanted to get Perez another shot.

“They talked about me a lot,” Perez said. “Like, ‘Let’s get Salvy back to the playoffs.’”

He's in his 13th season in the majors, all with Kansas City, and made his ninth All-Star team this year. He's won five Gold Gloves. He's a lifetime .267 hitter with 273 homers, 916 RBIs and a .762 OPS.

And, as anyone with the Royals will tell you, he's much more than that.

“He’s a Hall of Famer. I mean, I learned so much from him. He does all of his homework, as well. We brainstorm before the game. He’s been doing this for a long time. He’s really good at it, obviously. … Just trust him,” said left-hander Cole Ragans, who will start Tuesday against Baltimore's Corbin Burnes.

“I’m looking forward,” Ragans said, “to seeing postseason Salvy.”

Did Perez worry he might not get the chance to be in that position?

“I don’t like to think that way. ... We all can see a bad season, but I think we learned from that," Kansas City's cleanup hitter said. "That’s the good thig about baseball. I always say, ‘I love baseball because we have opportunity every day.’ So it doesn’t matter how you do today; tomorrow’s going to be another day. I try to think positive.”

That might not have been easy during 2023, in particular.

After all, entering this season, only two teams in major league history had made the postseason a year after losing 100 games. These Royals raised that total to three, with Perez leading the way.

“His contributions are enormous. Day in and day out, offseason included, he’s never taking a minute to not think about how he can help the organization, the team, the city,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He's larger than life in every aspect of his persona.”

AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) swings at a pitch called a strike in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr., left, and catcher Salvador Perez, right, look on from the dugout during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez warms up during a baseball workout a day before the team's wild card playoff game against the Baltimore Orioles, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez speaks to press before a baseball workout a day before the team's wild card playoff game against the Baltimore Orioles, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez warms up during a baseball workout a day before the team's wild card playoff game against the Baltimore Orioles, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A lawsuit filed Monday challenges a New Hampshire law that would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and photo identification when casting a ballot, saying it is one of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation.

The new law was set to take effect after the November elections. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed the bill earlier this month.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire in U.S. District Court in Concord on behalf of the Coalition for Open Democracy, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, the Forward Foundation, and five voters. It names New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Secretary of State David Scanlan as defendants.

Laws like this that "create unconstitutional roadblocks to voting and which could stop thousands of eligible voters from participating in an election, have no place in our state,” Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director at the ACLU of New Hampshire, said in a statement.

The lawsuit asks a judge to block enforcement, saying federal courts have weighed in on the matter before. A similar law in Kansas, which required proof of citizenship for state and federal elections, was found in 2018 to violate both the U.S. Constitution and the National Voter Registration Act.

In August 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed some parts of a law requiring proof of citizenship to be enforced in Arizona as the legal fight continues in lower courts. The ACLU of New Hampshire said that Arizona does not require proof of citizenship for federal elections.

Under New Hampshire's current law, those who don’t bring photo IDs to the polls can sign an affidavit attesting to their identity and are required to provide documentation within seven days. The new law would eliminate voter identification exceptions and would require those registering to vote to show a passport, birth certificate or other evidence of citizenship.

“This newly enacted voter registration requirement creates confusion, raises doubts for voters, and leaves them feeling hampered by the process,” Liz Tentarelli, president of the League of Women Voters New Hampshire, said in a statement Monday. "Instead of creating unnecessary barriers to voters, we need our elected officials to advance meaningful legislation that ensures New Hampshire voters can make their voices heard.”

A spokesperson for the state attorney general's office, Michael Garrity said in a statement, "We will review the complaint and respond as appropriate.”

Sununu signed the bill on Sept. 12. It is set to become law two months after that.

“We have a proud tradition and proven track record of condition elections that are trusted and true,” he said at the time. "Looking forward to the next decade or two, this legislation will instill even more integrity and trust in the voting process.”

Voting by noncitizens is prohibited in federal elections and is not allowed in any state elections, although a handful of municipalities nationwide allow it in limited circumstances. While illegal voting by noncitizens is extremely rare, the possibility that it could happen on a wider scale because of the influx of migrants at the southern border has become a theme of Republican campaign messaging this year.

In Washington, Republicans are trying to push through the SAVE Act, a proof-of-citizenship mandate for voters, as part of wider legislation aimed at avoiding a partial government shutdown this fall.

FILE - A voter enters a booth to fill out a ballot in a primary election to pick candidates for governor, the U.S. House, and the state Legislature, Sept. 10, 2024, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, file)