Tag: Kevin Kiermaier

Kevin Kiermaier ran at a Tyreek Hill-esque speed to make a sensational catch and MLB fans were in awe

He’d crush it at the NFL combine.

When it comes to the best defensive outfielders in baseball, Kevin Kiermaier should always be near the top of that list. He makes incredibly difficult plays look routine. And whether he’s diving or leaping for a catch, his versatility is just off the charts.

But man, when a baseball gets hit in the air around Kiermaier, he basically turns into a world-class sprinter. That’s exactly what happened during Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

With Andrew Monasterio at the plate in the second inning, Kiermaier got a phenomenal read off the bat on a deep fly ball headed for the gap. And somehow he was able to run down the baseball to make a full-extension catch at the warning track.

The catch itself was insane, but the lead-up to the grab was what really stood out. According to Statcast, Kiermaier covered 92 feet at a 30.4 feet-per-second sprint speed. That’s sub-four-second 40 kind of speed. That pace would nearly put him in the same company as Tyreek Hill who topped out at 31.4 feet per second last season.

Instead of running on a track, have Kiermaier chase a baseball in the air, and he’d just crush it at the NFL combine. Normally, Kiermaier ranks in the 91st percentile across MLB in sprint speed, but that effort was particularly impressive even for him.

No wonder MLB fans were in awe.

Kevin Kiermaier had a perfectly stunned reaction after Jason Adam ended game on a behind-the-back play

His face said it all.

The Tampa Bay Rays saw their 13-game winning streak to start the season end on Friday, but the team still has some magic left for the early going of 2023.

The Rays snapped the brief two-game losing streak on Sunday with an 8-1 win over the Blue Jays, and of course the Rays managed to end the game in astonishing fashion.

With Kevin Kiermaier at the plate with two on and two outs in the ninth, he hit a hard grounder towards the mound that was fielded on a no-look, behind-the-back snag by pitcher Jason Adam. Just look at Kiermaier’s reaction. He couldn’t believe it.

The Blue Jays outfielder could only make it a few steps out of the box against his former team before just looking back at Adam and saying, “Wow. Wow.”

When things are going right for a team, those kinds of plays happen.

MLB fans could also relate to Kiermaier’s reaction there. What a way for a game to end.

Hunter Renfroe saved a run for the Red Sox by accidentally hip-checking the ball over the fence

An obscure ground rule double ruling gave Boston new life.

Welcome to the MLB postseason, where an obscure baseball rule has turned the tide and the momentum of a series!

On Sunday, in the 13th inning of the Tampa Bay Rays versus Boston Red Sox ALDS, baseball fans were treated to an unusual ground rule double situation. With Yandy Diaz on first for Tampa Bay, Kevin Kiermaier smacked a ball into right-center field, which bounced off the top of the wall and right into Hunter Renfroe in the outfield.

The ball then careened off of Renfroe’s accidental hip check and went over the outfield wall, causing instant chaos and confusion from the Red Sox players on the field. Diaz came around to score on the play, but after a lengthy review the umpires ruled the play a ground rule double.

The result? Diaz stayed put at third and Kiermaier went to second, with no runs scored on the play.

Here’s the alternate angle of the play, which gives a better look at the path the ball took off of the wall and then off of Renfroe.

Baseball fans immediately were confused by the ruling, which logically makes no sense since Renfroe is an active player and isn’t a stationary part of the field. However, there is a very obscure MLB rule that covers this specific instance and states that a ball deflected by a player out of play is considered a ground rule double.

Unfortunately for the Rays, Tampa Bay was unable to score off of the completely bizarre play and Diaz and Kiermaier were left on base to end the inning.

And of course, as sports narratives often do, we got a picture-perfect ending to the game, as Renfroe got on base and then Christian Vazquez blasted home a two-run home run to give the Red Sox the 6-4 win and the 2-1 series lead.

Talk about a demoralizing end if you’re the Rays. To go from scoring the go-ahead run to having it called back due to circumstances completely out of your control, then to see the guy who caused that weird play put the dagger in you while rounding the bases? Just brutal.

In the end, the umpires got the call right as written in the rule book, but don’t be surprised if it changes due to the strange circumstances it brings about.

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Benches cleared when the Blue Jays hit Kevin Kiermaier with a pitch over the scouting-card controversy

Knew that was coming.

The series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays was dominated by one of the weirder controversies we’ve seen all season. And Wednesday’s finale brought forth the most predictable result:

A plunking.

The whole saga started on Monday when Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier picked up and kept a scouting card that was dropped by Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk during a play at the plate. The card evidently had the Blue Jays’ entire pitching game plan on it, and Kiermaier’s open willingness to take it (and keep it) had the entire Blue Jays roster upset.

So, while Tuesday’s game went forward without any fireworks, it was a different story on Wednesday when Kiermaier stepped to the plate in the eighth inning of a lopsided game.

On the first pitch of the at-bat, Blue Jays pitcher Ryan Borucki hit Kiermaier in the back with a 93 mph sinker. Kiermaier — clearly thinking it was intentional — had words for Borucki as he made his way to first base. Benches would also clear as a livid Kevin Cash came out to argue for Borucki to get tossed (which he did).

All this over a piece of paper. Baseball can be weird like that.

Of course, Kiermaier’s refusal to return the scouting card or his dubious claim that he didn’t realize what it was didn’t diffuse tensions with the Blue Jays. But it was pretty lame to wait two days and pick a spot like that to throw at someone — though Borucki denied that it was intentional.

Should Kiermaier have returned the card? I mean, it would have been the right thing to do. But it shouldn’t have drawn out into a multi-day controversy.

Thankfully, both teams can move on from it given that this was the last meeting between the Blue Jays and Rays this regular season. And there’s no way this will come back and be a thing in a potential postseason meeting, right? RIGHT?!

I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Blue Jays are upset with the Rays after Kevin Kiermaier picked up their scouting card off the ground

He didn’t want to give it back.

The paranoia that exists among baseball teams is unmatched in sports. Between stealing signs and foreign substances, MLB teams are always on the lookout to make sure their opponent isn’t utilizing the same shady tactics that they probably are using to gain an edge.

But the Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier appeared to cross a line of gamesmanship — even unintentionally — that you never see in a baseball game. The Blue Jays understandably aren’t happy about it.

Big-league players often keep a scouting card for matchups, positioning and pitch strategy in their pockets or wristbands. It’s exactly the kind of thing you don’t want the other team getting a hold of. But during Monday’s game between the Blue Jays and Rays, Kiermaier picked up Alejandro Kirk’s card on a play at the plate. It was right there on the ground.

According to Sportsnet’s Arash Madani, that card contained the Blue Jays’ pitching plan for the Rays. Again, not something you want an opponent having during a game with major playoff implications.

Kiermaier told Madani that he didn’t realize it was the Blue Jays’ card when he initially picked it up, saying that he thought it was his own card that he keeps in his back pocket. But upon realizing it belonged to Toronto, he didn’t give it back.

It’s an awkward spot to be in, sure. And baseball teams love to get an edge. But if Kiermaier wanted to act in the spirit of sportsmanship and competitive balance, he should have given the card back or handed it to an umpire the second he realized it wasn’t his. Optically, that would have been the best move. Even Kiermaier said he wasn’t going to give something like that back, which is why the Blue Jays are upset.

All he had to do was be like, “Hey, you dropped this. I thought it was mine. I didn’t read it, I promise *awkward laugh*.” Everyone would have moved on.

The teams still have two more games left in the series, so we’ll have to see if these frustrations with Kiermaier boil over on the field. Managers Kevin Cash and Charlie Montoyo have already spoken about it, but it remains to be seen what that conversation actually accomplished.

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