Tampa Bay Rays star Junior Caminero is making quite an impression in the race for the AL MVP title, but what fans witnessed on Tuesday night was quite possibly the slowest home run trot in history.
Could this be what a “walk-off” home run really looks like? I’m not sure, but the 23-year-old nailed it.
Caminero hit his second walk-off home run in just five days against the Athletics, sending his 41st home run of the season around the right field foul pole and winning the game 2-1. This leading slugger is currently batting .279, with his impressive total of 41 home runs, 96 RBIs, and nearly a .900 OPS.
Throughout the majority of the season, it seemed that Yordan Álvarez had the AL MVP race firmly in his grasp, and he hasn’t lost his hold on it yet, to be honest. However, Caminero is closing in fast, and his leisurely stroll around the bases on Tuesday might have just clinched it.
That trot — wow. I remember watching David Ortiz take his sweet time after hitting home runs, but this was something else. It made me wonder, are you even allowed to touch him before he crosses home plate? It looked like everyone was just giving him high-fives down the first base line.
Back in the day, we were practically scolded if we dared to touch a hitter before they reached home plate. It felt like a baseball cardinal sin.
I found out that there’s no actual rule in the MLB concerning this, although it appears to be quite strictly enforced in college baseball. A little research pointed out that Rule 5, Section 2 states: “After a home run, no offensive team member, other than the base coaches, shall touch the batter-runner before home plate has been touched.” But, interestingly, this rule doesn’t exist in Major League Baseball. Who knew?
Regardless, Caminero’s home run marked the Rays’ 91st victory of the season. They’ve already secured a playoff spot and are on track to wrap up the AL East in the next few days.
About that lengthy trot — it seems most people on social media loved it, even if some may want him to feel a little heat from a pitch in the first inning of the next game.
Ah, the complexities of fandom.
