Junior Caminero's ABSURD Home Run Trot in Rays' Series Clinching Win Was The 2nd Slowest in Statcast Era (You Won't Believe Who Has The Slowest)
Nobody gets the city of Tampa rockin' like the Rays in October. Certainly not the Rays in any other month. Did you know that despite the Tampa Bay Rays finishing with 98 wins and winning the AL East, the Rays had the 3rd-lowest regular season attendance in the MLB? And one of the teams they beat out, the Sacramento Athletics, played in a stadium with a capacity of 14,000. So the Rays really had the second-worst fan support in baseball (behind the Miami Marlins)
But you sure as hell wouldn't know it by watching last night's game. The Trop is electric in the playoffs, and Junior Caminero blew the big, white, ring-tiered roof off it last night. Figuratively speaking. The roof was literally blown off the Trop two years ago.
I think it's time for a new stadium, Tampa Bay. There simply must be a way to get fans to care more about baseball during the regular season. Florida is allegedly a baseball state. You'd think people would want to get out of the 100-degree heat in the dog days of summer. But considering everybody says the Tampa Bay Rays have the worst stadium in sports, I have to believe that has something to do with it.
Anyways, last night, at Tropicana Field, the Rays completed their comeback from down 2-1 in the ALCS and knocked off the Guardians. It wasn't an especially close game throughout. The Guardians kept within striking distance, but the Rays were in control all game long. The biggest story out of last night, aside from the Rays advancing to the World Series, was Junior Caminero's... extra spirited home run trot in the bottom of the 7th.
It was 3-1 Rays when Caminero came up to bat. The Guardians had finally shown some signs of life the inning prior, pushing across a run and getting Freddy Peralta out of the game. The Rays were still in the driver's seat, but they needed just a little more insurance to really feel comfortable. Junior Caminero gave them just that by WALLOPING a hanging splitter off the left field foul pole.
Not only was Junior Caminero's home run trot fucking insane (two full stops). Insane to the level that it made baseball purists like Dan Katz puke.
Just kidding, Big Cat. But as you can imagine, more people than just Big Cat thought Caminero's HR trot was more than a bit much. Again… he made two full stops. Junior Caminero clocked the second slowest home run trot in recorded history.
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The only home run trot slower??? It was Junior Caminero's walk-off home run vs. the A's earlier this year.
But that was a walk-off. The game is over. You can take more time on a walk-off. To do it in the middle of a game takes a little more balls. A little more arrogance. Or passion. Or hubris. Whatever you want to call it, it takes a little more something.
Personally, I love it. I'm all for anything that gives the game of baseball more juice. If I had a baseball team I was passionate about, I'm sure I'd despise Junior Caminero when he did it to me. But I loved the way the Dominican Republic celebrated during the World Baseball Classic. I loved the environment of those games.
If players and fans across the board got as fired up about baseball as Junior Caminero, the game would be a lot more… interesting. There might be a little more hate, but it would sure be something to watch.
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And if a middle infielder wants to punch Junior Caminero in the mouth as he rounds second every now and then, I'm all for that too. If a Milwaukee Brewer wants to do that in the World Series… well, that might be just what a World Series featuring the cities of Milwaukee and Tampa needs. I have to think they'll get their chance too. If given the opportunity, I can't imagine a world where Junior Caminero doesn't try to break Junior Caminero's record.