Rays make MLB history after near no-hit bid, with assist from Junior Caminero

The Tampa Bay Rays narrowly missed out on their first combined no-hitter and second overall no-no in Thursday’s 13-2 win versus the Kansas City Royals, but they still accomplished a remarkable piece of history just the same. Kevin Cash’s ballclub became the first MLB team to carry a no-hit bid into the ninth inning while also having one player hit three home runs, per OptaSTATS. Junior Caminero demolished KC, and left-hander Ian Seymour led the pitching staff with a superb 6 2/3 innings.

Tampa delivered Tropicana Field a one-of-a-kind afternoon that may never be duplicated again. Following a bumpy stretch, the Rays win back-to-back games for the first time in two weeks. And they do so in epic fashion.

Caminero, who is likely headed to his second straight MLB All-Star Game, landed the opening salvo on 2024 Cy Young runner-up Seth Lugo. He followed up his two-run first-inning homer with a solo shot in the fifth and a three-run blast in the eighth. He is now batting .285 with 19 dingers, .a .377 on-base percentage, .519 slugging percentage and .896 OPS. It is obvious that the 22-year-old third baseman’s sensational 2025 campaign was not merely due to favorable ballpark dimensions.

Normally, such a terrific power display would command all the headlines, but Tampa’s hurlers seized a share of the limelight by stifling the Royals for almost the entire game. The previously struggling Ian Seymour lowered his ERA by more than half a run and recorded seven strikeouts.

Unfortunately, Craig Kimbrel, a potential Hall of Famer and formerly one of the best closers in the sport, continued his late-career struggles and coughed up the no-hitter in the final frame. Catcher Carter Jensen thwarted the Rays’ pursuit with a one-out, 425-foot bomb. The Rays (45-33) should be feeling quite content nevertheless.

Tampa Bay will try to build on this two-way showcase when it welcomes in the Arizona Diamondbacks (41-39) on Friday. The Royals (34-48) will get a chance to avenge this humiliating result when they battle the Rays in Kauffman Stadium at the beginning of next week.

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