Caminero sends Tampa Bay to the postseason
One inning left, one run to get. Junior Caminero wiped out both with one swing under the lights in St. Petersburg. The Dominican launched a 97 mph fastball from Bryan Abreu 417 feet into left-center field. Walk-off, 3-1 over Houston, and the Tampa Bay Rays become the first MLB team to clinch a 2026 playoff berth.
It was his 40th home run of the season, the best total in the American League, and the first walk-off of his career. One batter earlier, Jonathan Aranda had just missed a homer and settled for a double.
The painful part for Houston: the Astros, leaders of the AL West, outhit the Rays nine to four. Drew Rasmussen left with no decision after seven solid innings, but Tampa Bay has now won his last 10 starts.
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Milwaukee gets it done in brutal fashion
Minutes later, the Milwaukee Brewers joined them. And they did it the hard way: 20-0 against Cincinnati.
William Contreras drove in six runs on his own, Garrett Mitchell crushed a grand slam, and Brice Turang finished 3 for 3 with four RBIs. Dustin May worked six innings, giving up just two hits. Reds starter Andrew Abbott was gone after allowing nine hits and eight runs in less than two innings.
Milwaukee keeps doing what Milwaukee does. On August 18, the franchise matched the modern-era record for the biggest shutout after hammering Seattle 22-0. This is its eighth playoff berth in nine seasons for one of the smallest markets in the league.
Behind them, it is still crowded
The rest of the bracket will have to wait. Cleveland moved two games clear of Toronto in the race for the final American League wild-card spot, scoring three runs in the ninth inning against Minnesota. Chicago saw its lead in the Central shrink to half a game despite Chase Meidroth’s two home runs.
In the National League, San Diego still holds a half-game edge over Arizona for the third wild-card spot. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have ripped off eight straight wins after Kyle Tucker’s grand slam in Miami.
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