After getting trolled by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2025 ALDS, the Yankees are getting trolled by the Rays after getting swept 3-0 in the 2026 ALDS. After winning Game 3, Junior Caminero brought out the brooms to sweep the Yankees out of Yankee Stadium. Many saw that as disrespectful, but the 23-year-old has made his feelings clear.
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He posted a video of himself talking in a postgame interview with the words, “affection and respect.”
Junior Caminero made sure the Yankees heard him after the Tampa Bay Rays completed their sweep in the Bronx. After Bryan Baker struck out Trent Grisham, Caminero mimicked sweeping the field with an imaginary broom. He then performed Stephen Curry’s “night night” celebration before joining teammates for the celebrations.
Inside the clubhouse, he kept shouting, “Daaaaa Yankees lose,” borrowing David Ortiz’s famous chant against New York. The Rays had won Game 3 by 4-3, sending the Yankees home and the Rays to their first ALCS since 2020, and Caminero enjoyed every second.
Caminero continued the celebrations during interviews, making his feelings about the victory impossible to miss. When TNT’s Lauren Shehadi asked about celebrating at Yankee Stadium, he shouted, “The best! The best! Sweep!” He followed that response by repeating, “Da Yankees lose,” before declaring himself “the best in the world.”
For a young player, beating a historic opponent on its home field offered a moment worth remembering.
However, Caminero’s loud celebrations did not mean he lacked respect for the Yankees or their players.
In the interview with ESPN’s Enrique Rojas, Caminero said, “I don’t regret it, but they all know it’s good and fun. We won, and we were just trying to enjoy the moment… I’m not really the one to trash talk like that… I have respect for the Yankees… I always have respect for the players and the fans too… My respect for them is always there.”
That history makes Caminero’s celebration more interesting, especially after he helped eliminate the team he once followed closely.
Caminero was such a big fan of the Yankees that he once asked his parents to name his brother after Joe Girardi. While growing up, Alex Rodriguez was his favorite player, and he looked up to him. Plus, the 2026 Yankees were not an easy team to beat.
They recorded 93-68 in the regular season, ranking second in the AL East, and they entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed. Yet, the Rays closed out the series on the road in New York, overcoming hostile territory and high-pressure moments.
Manager Kevin Cash’s squad entered the postseason wanting more than just a division title, and eliminating a marquee $300-million-plus payroll opponent kept their ultimate World Series aspirations alive.
Caminero’s respect for individual Yankees figures does not stop him from celebrating a major win against them. The sweep affirmed the Rays’ summer-long superiority over their American League East rivals.
The broom gesture and Ortiz-inspired chant were part of the emotion surrounding a postseason sweep, not personal hostility. For Caminero, the victory brought both the thrill of advancing and the chance to celebrate on baseball’s biggest stage. The expected tight series or a split became a smooth sweep, and that was worth celebrating for Junior.
His confidence also had numbers behind it, as Caminero hit .300 during the 3-game ALDS against the Yankees. He collected 3 hits, scored 2 runs and drew 2 walks across 10 at-bats. Although he didn’t get any hits in Game 1, in Game 2, he recorded 2 hits and scored as the Rays won 5-2 to take a 2-0 series lead. He added another hit and scored in the decisive Game 3, helping the Rays complete the sweep.
Even though he did not drive in a run during the series, his ability to reach base helped Tampa Bay keep its offense moving.
Caminero’s postseason showing followed a regular season in which he hit 42 home runs and drove in 101 runs, giving Tampa Bay a powerful bat in the middle of its lineup.
Those numbers help explain why he carries himself with such confidence, even against established postseason teams. Caminero now needs to bring that same approach into the ALCS rather than rely on confidence alone.
The Cleveland Guardians now stand between Tampa Bay and a place in the World Series. Caminero will face a difficult test against a Guardians team that came from 0-2 behind to win the ALDS 3-2. His power gives the Rays a dangerous weapon, but he will need to keep producing quality at-bats against Cleveland’s pitching.
This run gives the franchise another chance to chase its first World Series title. If Caminero sustains his production while keeping his confidence in check, he could help the Rays move one step closer to making history.