Caminero’s 41st Homer Lifts Rays Past Athletics

Junior Caminero hit his American League-leading 41st home run, a two-out, opposite-field blast on an 0-2 fastball in the ninth inning, lifting the Tampa Bay Rays to a 2-1 win over the Athletics. It was Caminero’s second walk-off homer in four games and second in five days, following the shot that clinched Tampa Bay’s postseason berth. The victory extended the Rays’ winning streak to four games, kept them unbeaten on their nine-game homestand and improved their record to 91-59, preserving their lead over the Yankees in the AL East. Griffin Jax struck out seven over five scoreless innings, and the Rays’ bullpen retired the final 11 Athletics batters. Chandler Simpson went 3-for-3 with a double, scored Tampa Bay’s first run and made a sliding catch in the ninth, while Oakland starter Jack Perkins allowed one unearned run over 6 2/3 innings and struck out eight. Caminero’s late-season performance strengthened his case in the American League MVP race.