Junior Caminero Hits 40th Homer, Reaches 100 RBI as Tampa Bay Rays Edge Seattle Mariners 6-5 on Sept. 2, 2025

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025

Tampa Bay Rays Edge Seattle Mariners 6-5 Behind Junior Caminero’s Historic Night

Junior Caminero delivered a power-packed performance, hitting his 40th home run and collecting four RBIs to reach the 100 RBI milestone as the Tampa Bay Rays narrowly defeated the Seattle Mariners 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Caminero Joins Elite Company

At just 22 years old, Caminero continued his breakout campaign with an RBI single in the first inning. He tied the game at 3-all in the sixth by homering off Bryan Woo. Caminero reached the 100 RBI mark with a two-run double in the seventh inning off Gabe Speier, making it 6-4. In doing so, he became only the fourth player in MLB history to record at least 40 home runs in his age-21 season or younger, a list that includes Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews, and Ronald Acuña Jr.

Raleigh and Rodríguez Ignite Mariners' Offense

Cal Raleigh added to his own legacy by smashing his 51st home run, extending his major league record for home runs by a catcher. Julio Rodríguez followed Raleigh’s lead with a homer of his own in the fourth inning, while Jorge Polanco joined the party with a two-out home run—this trio powered all of Seattle’s home runs off Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen, who had given up just three home runs in August before this game.

Bullpen Holds On for Tampa Bay

Kevin Kelly pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and earned the win. In the ninth inning, Griffin Jax loaded the bases with Tampa Bay leading 6-4. Garrett Cleavinger entered in relief, allowed a sacrifice fly to Mitch Garver, then got Randy Arozarena to fly out and retired Raleigh to end the game, securing his second save of the season.

Key Stat

Caminero became the first American League player in his age-21 season to drive in at least 100 runs since Alex Rodriguez, who tallied 123 RBIs in 1996.

Rays Climb Back to .500

With their fifth win in a row, the Rays improved their record to 69-69, returning to the .500 mark and staying in contention as the season progresses.

Up Next

The Mariners will look to avoid a three-game sweep Wednesday night as George Kirby (8-6, 3.94 ERA) takes the mound. Adrian Houser (7-4, 2.85 ERA) will start for the Rays.

In summary

Junior Caminero’s milestone night led the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners in a thrilling matchup. Caminero’s 40th home run and 100th RBI set him among MLB’s elite young sluggers. Despite long balls from Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez, Seattle came up just short as Tampa Bay’s bullpen held firm in the ninth. The Rays’ win streak continues as both teams prepare for the conclusion of their series.

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