Rays star Junior Caminero extends streak, becomes youngest player since at least 1900 to hit home run in 6 straight games

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Junior Caminero keeps hitting home runs.

The Tampa Bay Rays star drilled a deep shot to left field in the opening inning of their matchup with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday afternoon. That put the Rays up instantly, and marked the sixth straight game in which Caminero has hit a home run.

Caminero, 22, is now the youngest player since at least 1900 to hit a home run in six straight games, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. That also matched a Rays franchise record. Previously, Ken Griffey Jr. was the youngest player in the modern era of baseball to homer in six straight games, though he did so when he was 23. Willie Mays and Nolan Arenado each pulled that feat off at 24, too.

By comparison, three players in MLB history have hit a home run in eight consecutive games to set the league record. Griffey did so most recently in 1993 with the Seattle Mariners, following Don Mattingly in 1987 and Dale Long in 1956.

Caminero’s home run streak started back on June 25, also against the Royals. He hit three home runs in that 13-2 blowout win alone as the Rays combined for 8 1/3 no-hit innings. Caminero then hit one in each of the Rays’ wins over the Diamondbacks as they swept Arizona, and then got one in their 10-4 win over the Rays to open the new series in Kansas City on Tuesday night. 

Caminero now has 24 home runs this season, too, which is the fifth-most in the league. Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber leads the way there with 30 home runs so far this summer. Caminero, now in his fourth season with the Rays, carried a .294 batting average with 52 RBI into Wednesday’s contest, too. 

Tampa Bay, thanks largely to Caminero’s hot streak at the plate, holds a 49-33 record and leads the AL East race. They’ve won six straight, too. 

This post will be updated with more information shortly.