There was an open base. The winning run was already at second. And the American League home run leader was walking to the plate.
Astros manager Joe Espada never considered intentionally walking Junior Caminero.
That was Espada’s answer after Caminero hit a two-run walk-off homer off Bryan Abreu in the ninth inning Friday, giving the Rays a 3-1 victory and making Tampa Bay the first team in the majors to clinch a 2026 postseason berth.
The Decision
Abreu struck out Yandy Díaz to open the bottom of the ninth in a 1-1 game before Jonathan Aranda doubled off the right-field wall. Jonny DeLuca entered to run for Aranda, putting the winning run at second with one out.
That brought up Caminero, the American League’s leading home run hitter. First base was open.
Asked afterward whether he considered walking Caminero, Espada said no, citing his confidence in Abreu and the way the reliever had been throwing.
There were plenty of reasons for that confidence. Abreu entered Friday with a 1.00 ERA since the All-Star break and had not allowed a home run in 27 innings over that span.
But walking Caminero would not have advanced the winning run. It would have put runners at first and second with one out and brought Liam Hicks to the plate.
Instead, Abreu went after Caminero.
One Pitch
It lasted exactly one pitch.
Abreu threw Caminero a 96.6 mph four-seam fastball. Caminero drove it 417 feet to left-center at 107.2 mph for his 40th home run of the season, ending the game and starting Tampa Bay’s postseason celebration.
It was Caminero’s first career walk-off homer and his second consecutive 40-homer season.
The decision is particularly striking because Houston did not need to keep Caminero off base. With the winning run already at second, Caminero reaching first would not have changed what Tampa Bay needed to end the game.
Espada trusted one of his best relievers to get the AL’s leading home run hitter.
Caminero made that trust very expensive.
A Decision Worth Questioning
The result alone does not make the decision wrong. Abreu’s recent performance gave Espada ample reason to believe his reliever could win the matchup, and Caminero had been retired in each of his first three plate appearances Friday.
But those facts do not erase the situation: one out, winning run at second, first base open, and the AL home run leader at the plate.
What makes the decision especially notable is that Espada said an intentional walk was not considered at all.
The Astros left Tropicana Field with a 3-1 loss. The Rays left with a postseason berth. And one pitch ensured that Espada’s decision to face Caminero will be part of the conversation long after the ball landed. If the same situation presents itself Saturday, there will be one more question hanging over the Astros dugout: Does Espada make the same decision again?
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