Taylor Walls Makes Impressive Rays History Against Athletics

Taylor Walls is the first player in Tampa Bay Rays history to accomplish a rare feat.

Jul 22, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) hits a double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are a lot of things that shortstop Taylor Walls does well, which is why he remains a key cog in the Tampa Bay Rays’ lineup.

His defense at shortstop is elite, which helps the pitching staff perform to the best of their abilities. Offensively, the best asset he brings to the table is his speed, creating offense on the basepaths to help make up for his lack of impact with the bat.

For his career, Walls has an OPS+ of 68 with a slash line of .198/.289/.298 in 1,896 plate appearances. He isn’t someone that opponents spend much time game planning for at the plate, but the Athletics should have prepared a little more because he made unexpected history against them.

On Aug. 11, Walls became the first player in Rays franchise history to record multiple games in his career in which he hit a home run from both sides of the plate. The first time he accomplished the feat was April 18, 2023 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Taylor Walls makes Rays home run history against Athletics

Aug 9, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) runs towards first base after hitting a single against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Richard Dizon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the top of the fourth inning, in his second plate appearance of the game, hitting left-handed against Mason Barnett, Walls went deep for the first time this season in his 334th plate appearance.

He didn’t have to wait nearly as long to hit his second of the campaign, as he went deep in his next at-bat, hitting righty against the left-handed Brady Basso, sending the ball into left field.

Taylor Walls is the first switch hitter in franchise history to record multiple career games in which he homered from both sides of the plate. Along with tonight, he also accomplished the feat on April 18, 2023 at CIN.

— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) August 12, 2026

That is going to be a trivia question that will stump sports fans for years to come. A player who has 24 career home runs, with eight being his single-season high, made home run-hitting history.

16.7% of his career home runs have come in that game against the Reds and the history-making performance against the Athletics, and he hit one from each side of the plate in both games.

Taylor Walls has now homered from both sides of the plate after not hitting a home run in any of his first 96 games played this season! https://t.co/6yixDXVApC pic.twitter.com/vdEINOdZOq

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 12, 2026

This is the kind of stuff that makes people love baseball. Walls isn’t a power threat, but he owns a home run record that Junior Caminero, who is tied for the league lead with 35 home runs in 2026, will never accomplish.

Anything that Walls gives the team at the plate is a cherry on top of the positive impact that he already makes. Going deep twice, from both sides of the plate, in the same game is an incredibly impressive feat and has helped put Tampa Bay one step closer to sweeping their nine-game West Coast trip and preparing for the MLB postseason.