Victor Mesa Jr. gave the Rays a sixth-inning jolt in Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday, turning a borrowed bat and a first-pitch mistake into his first postseason home run.
With Tampa Bay and the Yankees locked in a tight one at Yankee Stadium, Mesa stepped in after Junior Caminero kept the inning moving with a two-out single. Yankees left-hander Max Fried opened Mesa’s at-bat with a sweeper, and the Rays’ left fielder did not let it settle.
Mesa hammered the pitch into the right-field seats, breaking the tie and putting Tampa Bay ahead 4-2. The drive left his bat at 107.3 mph and carried a projected 401 feet.
Caminero’s bat delivers another big swing
The home run came with a little help from the Rays’ All-Star third baseman. Mesa was using Caminero’s bat, prompting an animated reaction in the Tampa Bay dugout as the ball disappeared into the Bronx night.
“That’s my bat,” Caminero said on the TBS broadcast while thumping his chest. “If he doesn’t use it, he doesn’t homer.”
Caminero supplied plenty of his own thunder during the regular season, when he hit 42 homers, a total topped by only three Major League hitters. He also led all qualified big leaguers with an average bat speed of 79.5 mph.
Mesa took that borrowed lumber and produced an even faster swing on the decisive pitch. His bat speed registered at 85.9 mph.
A quiet stadium, a loud Rays dugout
Mesa knew he had caught the ball flush. Rather than following its flight, he remained near the plate, turned toward the Rays’ third-base dugout and soaked in the reaction from his club. The home crowd had little to offer in response as Tampa Bay’s bench supplied the noise.
After a brief pause, Mesa set Caminero’s bat down and began his trip around the bases.
When he reached the dugout, Caminero was waiting. Pointing toward Mesa, the third baseman summed up the sequence simply: “Together, together.”
It fit the inning. Caminero’s two-out single created the opportunity, and Mesa delivered the swing that gave the Rays their 4-2 advantage.
