One of baseball's brightest young talents is on a tear. Junior Caminero, the Tampa Bay Rays' 22-year-old infielder, has homered in six consecutive games — a hot streak that has him closing in on one of the sport's more durable records.
A rare feat for his age
Caminero connected again to extend the run, ESPN reported, and in doing so became the youngest player since at least 1900 to homer in six straight games. Over the six-game stretch he has hit eight home runs, as MLB.com highlighted — an outpouring of power that has helped power the Rays and turned a young slugger into one of the season's most watched hitters.
Chasing the record
The major-league record for consecutive games with a home run is eight, a mark that has stood for decades. Dale Long set it in 1956, and it has been matched only twice since — by Don Mattingly in 1987 and Ken Griffey Jr. in the 1990s. Caminero now sits two games short of joining that trio, with the chance to extend his streak in the Rays' next games.
Company kept
Even before reaching six, Caminero was in select company. According to reporting on the streak, he is among only a handful of players aged 22 or younger since 1900 to homer in five straight games, a group that includes Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018), Brian McCann (2006) and Jack Clark (1978). Reaching six at his age set him apart further.
What it means for the Rays
For Tampa Bay, a club that has long punched above its financial weight, Caminero's emergence is a significant piece of the picture. Young, powerful and cost-controlled hitters are exactly the kind of asset the Rays build around, and a run like this one raises his profile at a moment when the team is trying to stay in the playoff race.
Streaks of this kind rarely last much longer — pitchers adjust, and the odds catch up — but for now the question each night is a simple one: can he do it again? Whether or not he reaches the record, homering in six straight games before turning 23 is the kind of stretch that gets a young hitter noticed across the sport.
