The Rays punched their World Series ticket on Monday with two plays that captured the extremes of their roster: Chandler Simpson beating out a bunt with pure speed, and Junior Caminero turning a late home run into a full-scale celebration around the bases.
Both mattered in the American League Championship Series clincher. Simpson helped keep an early inning alive; Caminero gave Tampa Bay breathing room when the game reached the late frames.
Quick facts
- World Series Game 1 is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One.
- Simpson laid down a third-inning bunt and reached first in 3.78 seconds, hitting 31.4 mph at top speed.
- The extended inning later produced a sacrifice fly and a Rays run.
- Caminero drilled a two-run homer off the left-field foul pole in the seventh.
- Caminero needed 13.23 seconds to arrive at first base and 38.66 seconds to complete his trip home.
Simpson’s bunt was the kind of play that puts pressure on every defender at once. He dropped it cleanly, forced the issue and was already down the line before the defense could settle itself. The Rays eventually cashed in with a run-scoring sacrifice fly.
The 3.78-second home-to-first dash was even quicker than Simpson’s season-long standard. He led the majors in average home-to-first time at 3.96 seconds, while his average sprint speed of 29.4 feet per second placed him in the 95th percentile.
Caminero supplied the louder swing. His seventh-inning drive curled toward the left-field pole and stayed fair for a two-run shot, adding critical insurance for a club closing out the ALCS.
Then came the stroll. Caminero took 38.66 seconds to circle the bases, including 13.23 seconds just to reach first. Put beside Simpson’s sprint, the contrast is almost cartoonish: more than 10 Simpson-style bunt trips could fit inside Caminero’s complete home run lap, and roughly 3.5 could fit before Caminero reached first.
The moment has already been paired in a viral split-screen clip by Rob Friedman, better known as Pitching Ninja. It is an easy visual for what Tampa Bay brings into October: one player creating chaos with speed, another supplying thunder and enjoying every step after contact.
Caminero has made a habit of taking his time after big hits. His latest lap was the second slowest tracked by Statcast since 2015, trailing only his own 40.65-second circuit from September. His most memorable celebration may still be the walk-off homer that decided the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League championship in January 2025.
There should be more chances for both styles on the sport’s biggest stage. The Rays open the World Series on Friday, with Simpson ready to make the infield hurry and Caminero ready, if he connects, to make the bases wait.
