ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Junior Caminero did not wait for a long at-bat to send the Rays into October.
With Jonny DeLuca on second and one out in the ninth, Caminero hit a two-run walk-off home run off Bryan Abreu, and Tampa Bay beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Friday night to clinch a playoff berth, the Associated Press reported. The AL-best Rays (88-59) became the first major league team to secure a 2026 postseason spot.
It was Caminero's 40th homer of the season; he hit 45 in 2025 and joins Aaron Judge as the only active players with consecutive 40-homer seasons, per the AP.
Distance estimates differed: the AP described a 417-foot shot to left-center, while an NBC Sports fantasy note put the blast at 434 feet. Both accounts agree it ended the game and started the clinching party at home plate.
Sparse bats, then the ninth
Victor Mesa Jr. had tied the game with a solo homer in the fifth - one of only two Tampa Bay hits through eight innings, the AP said. Jonathan Aranda doubled off the right-field wall with one out in the ninth, DeLuca pinch-ran, and Caminero ended it on the next pitch. Bryan Baker (2-2) worked a scoreless top of the ninth for the win.
Abreu (6-4) took the loss after allowing the double and the homer.
Drew Rasmussen set the tone before the bullpen finished it. He worked seven innings, allowing one run on eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Tyler Wells followed with a scoreless eighth.
Houston scored in the fourth when Isaac Paredes doubled and Yainer Diaz drove him in with a grounder. Miguel Ullola opened for the Astros; Bryan King and Ethan Pecko followed before Abreu entered for the ninth. Houston stranded traffic all night, finishing with nine hits but only the one run.
