Junior Caminero has put up a lot of big, impressive numbers as the best player on the American League’s best team. There are three that mean a lot to him: 40, 100 and 162. Caminero reached the 40-homer mark on Sept. 11, when his first career walk-off homer clinched Tampa Bay’s return to the postseason. He surpassed the 100-RBI mark in the first inning of the Rays’ 12-1 win over the reeling Phillies on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, their 15th victory in the past 21 games and their 98th of the season. The All-Star third baseman blasted a two-run homer off Aaron Nola, his 42nd of the season, to reach 101 RBIs on the year. And Caminero should check the box next to “162” in Sunday afternoon’s regular-season finale. Assuming he starts at third base, as he has done all year, he will become the fourth player in MLB’s divisional era (since 1969) to start 162 games at the hot corner in a season, joining Vinny Castilla (1998 Rockies), Cal Ripken Jr. (1997 Orioles) and Sal Bando (1969 A’s). That will also make Caminero only the fourth player in franchise history to play in 162 games in a season, along with Evan Longoria (2014), Delmon Young (2007) and Aubrey Huff (2003).
