Víctor Mesa Jr. Homers as Rays Beat Braves in Matchup of Division Leaders

September 11, 2026

Cuban outfielder Víctor Mesa Jr. hit a solo home run and went 2-for-4 as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-2 on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, in a matchup between two first-place teams. The homer came in the second inning off Braves starter Reynaldo López.

The 25-year-old Havana native celebrated the blast with teammates in the dugout. Shortstop Jorge Mateo also drove in two runs with a single during a three-run second inning, while Rays starter Griffin Jax allowed just two hits and one run over five innings to improve to 7-10 on the season.

The win extended Tampa Bay's lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East to four games and trimmed its magic number to four for clinching its first postseason berth since 2023. Atlanta, meanwhile, saw its NL East lead over Philadelphia shrink to three games.

The son of legendary Cuban player and manager Víctor Mesa Martínez and brother of fellow ballplayer Víctor Víctor Mesa, with whom he left Cuba in 2018, Mesa Jr. made his MLB debut in May 2025 with the Miami Marlins before being acquired by the Rays earlier this year.