Junior Caminero has done it again.
Four days ago, the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman walked off the Houston Astros to begin that series with a win and clinch a playoff spot.
Caminero called game once more on Sept. 15, launching one opposite-field in the bottom of the ninth to walk-off the Athletics and open the Rays final regular season series at Tropicana Field with a 2-1 win.
At 23-years-old, Caminero is the second-youngest player ever to hit two walk-off home runs in a four-game span. His walk-off was set up by a pair of wild pitches and Rays starting pitcher Griffin Jax’s shoutout stint.
The Athletics errant throw occurred in the second, when a pitch from starter Jack Perkins passed catcher Jonah Heim’s glove. With Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson on third base, the speedster merely trotted home before the Athletics could recover.
Jax fanned seven batters through five innings to record his first scoreless start since June 7 against the Miami Marlins. Rays reliever Ty Johnson entered for Jax in the sixth, but did not survive the half-inning after bouncing a ball to the backstop that sent Athletics outfielder Henry Bolte home from third. That made it 1-1.
Cam Booser, who finished the sixth for Johnson, along with Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker, threw a combined no-hitter from there to keep it 1-1 entering the ninth’s bottom frame.
Baker got credited with the win, his third of the season, which puts him one short of tying his career-high.
Simpson recorded a base-hit in all three of his at-bats to tally his American League-leading 53rd multi-hit game of season. The outing rose his batting average to .308, but more work needs to be done if he wants to jump Houston Astros star Yordan Alvarez (.310) for the AL batting title.
Alvarez has his own catching up to do, as Caminero’s 41st home-run keeps him ahead for most in the American League.
Still pacing the New York Yankees for the AL’s top seed by four games, the Rays seek to extend that gap with a Game 2 win on Sept. 16 at 6:40 p.m. EST.