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Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. — Dominican Junior Caminero had a memorable day by hitting three home runs for the first time in his career, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a resounding 13-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Tropicana Field.
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n” “nIn addition to Caminero’s offensive display, the Rays were just two outs away from completing a combined no-hitter, in a historic afternoon for the franchise.
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Tampa Bay started the game with an innovative pitching strategy using an “opener.” Reliever Casey Legumina opened the game with 1.1 perfect innings before handing the mound to Ian Seymour, who completely dominated the Kansas City offense for 6.2 innings without allowing any hits.
n” “nSeymour only allowed one runner to reach base via a walk, issued to Dominican Starling Marte in the sixth inning.
With the no-hitter in play until the ninth inning, veteran closer Craig Kimbrel came in to finish the feat. However, after issuing a walk and getting one out, he allowed a two-run home run to catcher Carter Jensen, who broke up the no-hitter attempt and prevented the historic mark.
On offense, Caminero set the pace from the first inning with a home run and didn’t stop until he completed a three-homer game, a performance that drove much of Tampa Bay’s 13 runs.
n” “nThe Rays became just the second team since the Expansion Era (1961) to combine a no-hit bid of at least eight innings with a three-homer individual performance in the same game.
n” “nCaminero’s performance reaffirms his growth as one of the young Dominican figures with the greatest potential in Major League Baseball.
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