SANTO DOMINGO.– The Major League Baseball season once again ignited the home run race among Dominican bats. Junior Caminero hit his 42nd home run of the season and Juan Soto blasted his 39th in another display of power that keeps the battle for the lead among the Dominican figures in MLB in suspense.
The 22-year-old third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays hit his home run in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox, a two-run hit that brought his team closer on the scoreboard. Although the Rays ended up losing 6-5, Caminero went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, solidifying a season that is already being hailed as a dream come true.
In New York, Juan Soto once again took center stage despite the Mets‘ 11-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dominican outfielder hit his 39th home run in the eighth inning, in addition to a double and a stolen base, his 31st of the year. Soto finished the night with three hits in five at-bats, two runs scored and one RBI, remaining only one home run away from reaching the 40 mark and approaching the historic challenge of joining the 40-40 club.
The home run derby also had other Dominican protagonists. In Cincinnati, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 21st home run of the season to open the scoreboard in the fifth inning, but his hit did not prevent the Padres’ 2-1 defeat against the Reds, who came back with the timely bat of Elly De La Cruz and Miguel Andújar.
In Toronto, Yainer Díaz was the hero for the Houston Astros by hitting a decisive home run in the ninth inning, his number 19 of the year, which secured the 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays. His teammate Carlos Correa also made history by adding his 200th home run in the Major Leagues.
For his part, in Arizona, Geraldo Perdomo shone again with a complete game, hitting his 18th home run and his 25th stolen base of the season in the Diamondbacks’ 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Although he is going through an offensive slump in the last two weeks, Perdomo already has 93 RBIs on the year, confirming the best campaign of his career.
With these results, the power struggle among Dominicans in MLB is shaping up to be one of the most followed stories at the end of the season: Caminero seeks to maintain his lead with 42 home runs, while Soto pursues his number 40, with the expectation that he will achieve a historic feat if he completes the double challenge of 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
The 22-year-old third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays hit his home run in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox, a two-run hit that brought his team closer on the scoreboard. Although the Rays ended up losing 6-5, Caminero went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, solidifying a season that is already being hailed as a dream come true.
