Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) gestures during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game two of the ALCS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Tropicana Field.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Junior Caminero apparently has a little Dikembe Mutombo in him. The Tampa Bay Rays brought out the iconic celly of the late NBA great when he robbed Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan of a hit in the fifth inning of Tuesday night's Game 2 of the American League Championship Series.
With the Rays leading 3-0 and no man on base, Kwan hit a liner off a 1-1 pitch from Tampa Bay starter Freddy Peralta.
It would have been a hit most of the time, but not in that moment, as Caminero was quick to the ball, making a leaping grab to deny Kwan a hit. The Rays star also added some sauce with a finger wag in a seeming homage to the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winner Mutombo, who died in 2024.
Here is that highlight play from Caminero:
Junior Caminero hit Steven Kwan with the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag after catching his line drive 😅 pic.twitter.com/QuXxV0VEZB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 14, 2026
Caminero and the Rays are looking to avoid a 2-0 series hole against the Guardians, who stole Game 1 with a 7-3 win on Monday. In that contest, Caminero went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, but his effort was clearly not enough for the Rays to avoid the upset loss to the surging Guardians.
Still, Tampa Bay remains a dangerous team. After all, Caminero is a top candidate to win the AL Most Valuable Player Award and the Rays are the AL's No. 1 seed in the playoffs, thanks to a 98-win campaign.
Caminero and the Rays reached the ALCS after utterly dismantling the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series, sweeping the Bronx Bombers in three games.