Rays head back to playoffs as Junior Caminero delivers walk-off homer

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 11, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Missing the playoffs the past two seasons seemed like a very long time for the Rays, especially after making them for five straight.

With the chance in their own hands to get back in with a win on Friday, they did so in dramatic fashion.

Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning to give the Rays a 3-1 victory over the Astros and a spot in the six-team American League playoff field.

Caminero’s homer on the first pitch of his at-bat was his 40th of the season. The rally started with Jonathan Aranda doubling high off the right-center-field wall.

In doing so, the Rays (88-59) became the first team in the majors to clinch a postseason berth.

While the Rays celebrated Friday’s accomplishment, several players and staff have said in recent days that they are very much focused on grander goals, starting with winning the American League East title.

They went into play Friday with a three-game lead over the Yankees, who were hosting the Mets.

Drew Rasmussen, as he typically does, delivered a strong start for the Rays.

He allowed just one run over seven innings, scattering eight hits but walking none while striking out four. The Rays had won each of his nine starts since the All-Star break, and he had seven wins over that stretch.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the fourth.

Ex-Ray Isaac Paredes doubled with one out, and Daulton Varsho followed with a single to put runners at the corners.

Rasmussen got the ground ball he wanted from Astros catcher Yainer Diaz, with second baseman Richie Palacios flipping to shortstop Jorge Mateo for the force-out.

Mateo fired quickly to first to try to complete the double play, but Diaz beat the throw.

The Rays got even in the fifth, when Victor Mesa Jr. drove the first pitch from Ethan Pecko 415 feet over the right-center-field fence. That made it three straight games with a homer for Mesa, and 13 overall.

The Rays’ last three trips to the playoffs ended with losses in their first series, as they have a seven-game postseason losing streak.

They were swept in best-of-three wild-card series in 2023 (by Texas) and 2022 (at Cleveland), and lost a best-of-five division series to the Red Sox 3-1 in 2021 after winning the opener at home.

Their last postseason series win was the 2020 ALCS over Houston that was played in San Diego due to COVID-19 restrictions.