The 2025 MLB Home Run Derby will be remembered for plenty of reasons. Cal Raleigh won it all with his dad pitching and younger brother catching. Oneil Cruz launched a 513-foot bomb that set a non-Coors Field record. And a kid in left field robbed Junior Caminero of a home run in the finals.
That last one? It’s the first time something like that’s happened in 40 years.
For decades, we’ve watched kids shag balls in the outfield during the Derby, staying well back from anything that might clear the fence. There’s probably been plenty of instruction over the years telling them not to interfere with potential home runs.
Sometimes intrusive thoughts win.
The only other time this happened was back in 1985 when Ryne Sandberg got robbed in center field during the very first Home Run Derby. Back then, MLB worked with a local high school and had players manning their actual positions in the outfield instead of the current setup with kids.
That 40-year streak came to an end Monday night in the finals between Caminero and Raleigh.
The Catch That Everyone’s Talking About
Caminero went second in the final round, knowing he had to catch up to Raleigh’s 18 home runs. Right before taking his timeout, the Rays third baseman hit what looked like it might be a fence-scraper to left field.
The ball’s trajectory put it right in line with the top of the fence. It likely would’ve hit the wall and bounced over for a home run, but the kid drifted over and made the catch.
A KID JUST ROBBED JUNIOR CAMINERO’s HOME RUN IN THE FINAL ROUND pic.twitter.com/znFWAO9af9
— The Sports Place (@offsportsplace) July 15, 2025
One of the kids in the outfield really robbed Junior Caminero of a home run
They ended up counting it as a homer anwyay pic.twitter.com/nzEu0vs5EO
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 15, 2025
Caminero took his timeout right after that swing. During the break, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Elly De La Cruz were out there advocating for him, making circles with their fingers to signal it should count as a home run.
After a review, officials credited Caminero with the home run despite the robbery.
The ball boy has been identified as Sam Musterer, and he wasn’t exactly sure where he was in relation to the fence when he made the catch. “I wasn’t quite aware of where I was on the fence. I thought the fence was a little taller there. I kind of just reached up and grabbed it.”
Everyone’s Got an Opinion
While plenty of people on social media criticized the kid for interfering, he’s definitely got some fans. The Mariners posted about him on their official account, and they seem like the type of organization that’ll either send him some merch or have him throw out a first pitch down the road.
team player pic.twitter.com/w0jAuUtJwr
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 15, 2025
Caminero ended up losing to Raleigh by three home runs, so the catch didn’t impact the final outcome. It just created one of those moments that’ll be replayed for years.
Raleigh even played into it afterward, telling reporters with a grin, “I paid him off.”
Sometimes the best Derby moments aren’t just about the homers that clear the fence. They’re about the ones that don’t.
