Rays’ Junior Caminero Surpasses A-Rod, Breaks AL Home Run Record for Players Under 22

Rays third baseman Junior Caminero blasted his 37th homer Sunday, topping Alex Rodriguez's American League mark for players 21 or younger in one season. His grand slam powered Tampa Bay past St. Louis 7-2 at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

The ball soared 381 feet into right field off Cardinals pitcher Matt Svanson's first pitch. Rain caused a massive 4-hour, 25-minute wait, sending most of the 8,809 fans home before play started again.

“I'm very happy. It's a very good thing. I'm very excited,” Caminero said via team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez per The Tampa Bay Times. “You guys are seeing all the work that I put in. And every time I come talk to you guys I talk about that, and I'm very proud of that. I'm excited to be accompanying him.”

Tampa Bay (63-67) won twice against the Cardinals (64-67) in their three matchups. Ryan Pepiot (9-10) pitched five strong innings without giving up a run. He struck out three batters while allowing just one hit and one walk.

At 22, Caminero stands among baseball's brightest young stars. Through his first 116 games, his 37 homers rank sixth all-time for players his age or younger, per Sports Illustrated. He trails only legends like Johnny Bench (40), Joe DiMaggio (39), and Eddie Mathews (36).

The Rays got Caminero in a trade with Cleveland, sending pitcher Tobias Myers in November 2021. Since his first MLB game last September, he's hit .262 with 84 RBIs and reached base 30% of the time.

When Caminero gets a hit, Tampa Bay wins big, posting a 50-33 record. Without his bat working, they've stumbled to 9-32.

A sharp triple from Chandler Simpson drove in two runs in the sixth, stretching the lead to 7-0. Earlier, Christopher Morel smacked his 10th homer in the fourth.

Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore (6-11) struggled through 4 2/3 innings. He gave up four runs before leaving the game. St. Louis split their road games 3-3 between Miami and Tampa.

Next up, the Rays visit Cleveland on Tuesday. Ian Seymour (1-0, 3.86) takes the mound for his first MLB start.