Rays slugger Junior Caminero does it again, delivers walk-off homer to beat A's

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 15, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The series against the A’s that opened Tuesday night at Tropicana Field is the Rays’ only one since early September — and until the end of the season — against a team not in the playoff race.

Easy, right?

Not so much.

Tampa Bay prevailed at the end for a 2-1 win in dramatic fashion, as Junior Caminero delivered a walk-off homer leading off the bottom of the ninth.

Caminero did the same thing Friday night leading the Rays into to playoffs. Tuesday he took an Elvis Alvarado pitch out to right field.

“Every game is important, right, from here on out,” Rays veteran starter Nick Martinez said before Tuesday’s game. “I think we have good awareness of that and knowing what’s at stake to win a division. So it’s no matter who we’re playing, it’s good to get into that playoff mindset of where every game matters.”

The Rays improved their American League-leading record to 91-59 and at least maintained their 3 1/2-game East division lead over the Yankees, who were playing at Minnesota.

They also reduced their magic number to clinch the AL East title — a combination of Tampa Bay wins and New York losses — to at least nine, pending the Yankees’ result.

There was not much offense as both starters — Tampa Bay’s Griffin Jax, the Athletics’ Jack Perkins — showed well.

The Rays scored a run in the second on a passed ball.

Chandler Simpson doubled — over the head of A’s right fielder Lawrence Butler, a friend from home near Atlanta — with one out, moved to third on Richie Palacios’ grounder to first and scored when Perkins bounced a pitch that catcher Jonah Heim couldn’t corral.

The A’s got even in the sixth with a run on a wild pitch.

Henry Bolte singled with one out off reliever Ty Johnson and went to third when Jeff McNeil followed with a single. Johnson, a rookie called up from Triple-A on Sept. 5 with a chance to earn a spot on the postseason roster, threw a slider that got past catcher Liam Hicks, allowing Bolte to score.

Jax was sharp for the second straight outing after a rocky return from the injured list on Sept. 2 following a month-long absence to deal with elbow discomfort. Tuesday, he retired the first eight, allowed only two hits and no walks over five innings and struck out seven, including four of the first six A’s.

The Rays had a chance to go ahead in the eighth when they had Jorge Mateo on second with one out and the top of the order up, but Yandy Diaz flied out and Jonathan Aranda struck out.

Mateo reached by grounding a ball that rookie first baseman Tommy White, a St. Petersburg native and former Calvary Christian standout, fielded cleanly, but was too slow getting to first base with. Mateo was originally called out, but immediately signaled to the dugout for the Rays to challenge the call, and they were right as it was overturned.

Mateo then stole second and went to third on Diaz’s fly out.