ST. PETERSBURG — Rays third baseman Junior Caminero blasted three home runs totaling 1,152 feet and drove in six runs Thursday afternoon, powering Tampa Bay to a 13-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals at Tropicana Field and recording the eighth three-homer game by a player in franchise history.
Caminero finished 3-for-5 with six RBIs, opening with a two-run, 372-foot blast in the first inning off Royals starter Seth Lugo, then adding a 387-foot solo shot in the fifth — also off Lugo — before crushing a 393-foot, three-run homer in the eighth off a 47.6 mph lob from shortstop Tyler Tolbert, who entered to preserve Kansas City’s bullpen. Caminero leads all American League third basemen this season with 19 homers.
“Now I’ve done it in the big leagues,” Caminero said through a team interpreter. “I’ve never forgotten that day with the Biscuits. And now to do it in the big leagues, this is a day that I’ll never forget.” Caminero said he had a three-homer game in the Minor Leagues with Double-A Montgomery.
Rays pitcher Ian Seymour turned in 6 2/3 innings of hitless relief, and Tampa Bay was on the verge of a combined no-hitter before ninth-inning reliever Craig Kimbrel surrendered a two-run homer to Royals catcher Carter Jensen. “It’s a treat watching him go to work every day, seeing how far he hits balls,” Seymour said. “It’s like a spectacle. When the offense shows out like that, it’s a great day for us all.”
Caminero became the seventh Ray — joining Evan Longoria, who did it twice — to register a three-homer game. Victor Mesa Jr. also contributed a three-run homer in the fourth inning. “Junior is swinging the bat really well,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “I mean, that’s saying something, hitting three home runs in the Major Leagues. Lugo is a tough pitcher and he has pitched us very tough in the past. But we did a good job with Mesa Jr., and certainly Cam.”
Caminero said he struck out in his previous at-bat in the seventh inning against right-hander Connor Seabold before the Rays sent nine batters to the plate in the eighth, giving him another chance. “Yeah, I was just looking for the third one, to be honest, right?” Caminero said. “With the position player pitching, I was just trying to get a good pitch — and I got one to drive.” He credited a slight opening of his batting stance for improved results against inside pitches.
“Every pitcher in baseball is trying to not allow him to get extended,” Cash said. “But when he does get extended and he gets it elevated, the ball goes as long as anybody in baseball.” Royals manager Matt Quatraro offered a similar assessment: “He has tremendous bat speed. He knows what he does well. When we executed some pitches, down and away and stuff, you get him out sometimes. But he’s a good hitter and we’re not the only team he has done that to.”
The Rays continue their series against Kansas City at Tropicana Field on Friday.