Arizona Diamondbacks at Tampa Bay Rays

Can anyone stop Junior Caminero and the Rays right now? Caminero’s next-level hot streak continued in the Rays’ 5-1, sweep-sealing win over the D-backs on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field, when Tampa Bay’s superstar slugger went deep for the fourth straight game by launching the longest home run of his young career. The 22-year-old unloaded on an 0-1 cutter from D-backs starter Merrill Kelly, blasting it onto the concourse above the Daiquiri Deck beyond the center-field fence. Statcast projected the solo shot at 463 feet, an absolute moonshot tied for the fourth-longest homer in the Majors this season. How far did he think it went? “Far,” Caminero said, smiling. The 113.5 mph laser was the seventh-longest homer at Tropicana Field since Statcast began tracking batted-ball data in 2015, and the Rays’ second-longest homer since 2021, behind only a 467-foot shot hit by Jonathan Aranda in Baltimore exactly a year ago. “That was the type of ball that made everyone go quiet,” veteran center fielder Cedric Mullins said. “Instead of cheering, we're all just looking at each other like, 'Jesus Christ.' Special kind of power out of him.” Caminero’s titanic blast was the exclamation point on an incredible week for the 22-year-old third baseman and a terrific homestand for the Rays, who vaulted back into first place in the American League East with a 7-3 stretch at the Trop capped by five straight wins. Caminero became the 10th player in team history to homer in at least four straight games, the first since Brandon Lowe in April 2023, and the youngest Ray to ever do so. Only three players his age or younger have had a longer home run streak since at least 1900, as Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018), Brian McCann (2006) and Jack Clark (1978) each went deep in five straight games.