MLB All-Star Game scare: Junior Caminero hit by 98 mph fastball, exits
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The Midsummer Classic was supposed to be a celebration of baseball, but things took a scary turn for the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night when their star walked off the field in pain.
Tampa Bay third baseman Little Caminero St. He was hit in the left hand by a 98 mph ball from St. Louis Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien.
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Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays is hit by a pitch during the third inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 14, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Caminero ran directly into the AL dugout and was forced out of the game. The 23-year-old knelt down holding his left hand before walking with the coaches. He was replaced on the base paths by pinch runner Miguel Vargas.
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Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays strikes out to pitcher in the first inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Fortunately for Tampa Bay, the X-ray results on Caminero’s left hand came back negative.
Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Davis summed it up this way: “Everyone’s worst nightmare in an exhibition is for something like this to happen.”
Caminero entered the All-Star break with 28 home runs, tied for fourth in the majors and helped lead the Rays to the top of the AL East.
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Caminero avoided the worst, but the Midsummer Classic came closer to disaster than anyone could have wanted.
Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays is hit by a pitch during the third inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 14, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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