Rays news: Junior Caminero's MVP chase continues with walk-off homer to beat A's
Rays news: Junior Caminero’s MVP chase continues with walk-off homer to beat A’s appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Tampa Bay Rays are facing a hard charge from the New York Yankees in the race for the AL East division crown, so every win matters as far as their hopes of earning a bye to the NLDS are concerned. But on Tuesday, the Rays faced a highly-motivated Athletics team at home, with a pitcher’s duel breaking out between the two teams.
The Rays entered the bottom of the ninth with the game tied at 1-1, with the A’s sending out Elvis Alvarado to try and keep the score as it was to force extra innings. But with Junior Caminero leading off the inning, that was simply not to be. Even after Caminero went down 0-2 in the count, he was all over a 100.2 mph fastball from Alvarado, belting it to the opposite field for his 41st home run of the season to give the Rays a 2-1 walk-off victory.
JUNIOR CAMINERO HAS DONE IT AGAIN‼️
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The Rays beat the Athletics on a walk-off homer 🔥
It’s Caminero’s second walk-off HR in the last 4 games.pic.twitter.com/UJkYuuyAP9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 16, 2026
On a night where barely anyone from the Rays had it going from the plate, it was Caminero who emerged as the team’s biggest star the way he’s done for them all season long. With this latest victory, Tampa Bay improved to 91-59 on the season, giving them a four-game cushion over the Yankees in the AL East for the time being.
Caminero now has 41 home runs and 96 runs batted in on the season to go along with an OPS of .898. He has been the Rays’ biggest star at the plate this year, and considering that Tampa Bay owns the best record in the AL, he has a good shot of winning the AL MVP award.
He has fierce competition for the award, however. Yordan Alvarez is still within striking distance of a rare Triple Crown feat, as he is down by just three long balls (to Caminero) and four RBIs (to Pete Alonso) all while leading the AL in batting average. If he pulls off the Triple Crown, that could convince voters to choose the Houston Astros star instead.
But with Caminero pulling off heroics left and right in recent games, the narrative might be turning in the Rays star’s favor.
Related: Insider reveals the player who ‘should’ win AL MVP over Astros’ Yordan Alvarez
