The first one carried Jonathan Aranda home. A fly ball to left field, Caminero's 17th of the season, and the Rays had two runs.
He popped out to Jac Caglianone at first base the next time up. Then he did it again — another fly ball to left, his 18th, with nobody on. One run instead of two, same piece of sky.
Three home runs in a single game is the fifth time it has happened in 2026. The hard part is what the box score makes look simple: a hitter gets four or five turns in a night, and to leave the yard three times he has to square the ball three times — early, middle, and late — against a staff that has watched the first two go out. Most major-league hitters do not barrel three balls in a week. Caminero had two home runs and a popout when he came up the fourth time and struck out on a call he did not believe. He challenged it. The call on the field was confirmed. Out on strikes.
Six runs batted in on three hits, all of them over the wall. His top exit velocity was 107.5 miles per hour; his longest ball went 393 feet. Kansas City lost, 13–2, and six of the thirteen runs came off one bat.
Fifth time up, Aranda was on again, and Nick Fortes was on with him. Caminero hit a fly ball to left center. Fortes scored. Aranda scored. His 19th of the season. His third of the game.
<!-- the mentor passed it with notes: - The mechanical overlap flags ("all night left the bat at", "the call on the field was", "ball he put in play all") echo phrasing from earlier archive pieces — not disqualifying, but worth varying if the pattern keeps recurring across recaps. - "same piece of sky" is the one earned flourish; it lands and the piece moves on — keep it at one. --> <!-- THE PACK — every number here is off the reconciled card for this game and nothing else. The writer does not recall a stat; if it is not here it does not exist. Junior Caminero hit three home runs the 5th three-homer game of 2026 Three home runs by one man in one game. MEANS: — - home runs: 3 - RBI: 6 - hits: 3 - opponent: Kansas City Royals - hardest hit: 107.5 mph - longest: 393 ft -->