Blue Jays' Kiermaier quickly becoming fan favourite with glove, bat and smile

TORONTO — To say Kevin Kiermaier was pumped to make his Rogers Centre debut as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays would be an understatement. The centre-fielder was so filled with adrenalin that he was literally doing pull-ups from the dugout roof during pre-game ceremonies on Tuesday.

Minutes before that, he was the lone Blue Jays position player on the field as right-hander Alek Manoah was going through his pre-game routine on the warning track.

Hands on his knees, Kiermaier bent over and looked up at the crowd, as if to soak in his surroundings. He sprinted to centre field and pointed to the collection of fans there, who applauded his gesture from the stands. He then turned around and went full flight again, stopping at the left-field foul line to show love to another section of the crowd.

That’s who Kiermaier is. The 32-year-old, who signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays in the off-season after a decade with the Tampa Bay Rays, is full of energy. Some players casually jog to their positions before an inning, but Kiermaier sprints.

And while all of the above might be apparent to only the keenest observers, Kiermaier made sure to leave an impression on everybody in the stadium during the Blue Jays’ 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers in Tuesday’s home opener.

It was the type of stuff that can make someone an instant fan favourite.

In the top of the second, Tigers’ cleanup hitter Kerry Carpenter smoked a pitch from Manoah to deep centre field. The ball came off his bat at 103 mph, meaning Kiermaier needed to cover serious ground.

He raced backward, covering 77 feet at a sprint speed of 18.3 feet per second, took a quick peek behind him, then leaped backward. He extended his left hand over the wall to pull back a home run and ignite the sellout crowd of 42,053.

“He’s like Spider-Man,” Manoah quipped.

“We were kind of laughing in the dugout,” added manager John Schneider. “Right out of the chute he’s jumping over the wall.”

After making the highlight-reel catch, Kiermaier pointed his glove-hand to the sky to let everybody know that he’d committed robbery.

“I don’t even remember [my reaction],” Kiermaier said. “I truly don’t. I was ecstatic. I just remember [right-fielder] George [Springer] running over and he was like, ‘Hey, you have to throw the ball in.’ I just kept it in my glove.”

Kiermaier admits he didn’t initially think Carpenter’s bullet could be a home run. As it travelled further, though, the three-time Gold Glover made the split-second decision to attempt to time his jump and make a play at the wall.

“I just listen to my instincts,” he said. “I see the ball and inside my body something tells me what to do.”

Kiermaier built a reputation as one the best defensive outfielders in the sport with the Rays, whose home ballpark, Tropicana Field, does not contain a traditional dirt warning track in front of the outfield fence. Like Rogers Centre, the Trop features turf, which offers no feeling of a grass-to-dirt transition to an outfielder who’s looking up at the ball and not at the ground.

Because of that, he’s had to develop a different sense of spatial awareness than most major-league outfielders. 

“In Tampa Bay I've never had a warning track my whole career,” he said. “I think that helped develop an internal clock of where the wall’s at… You have to know where you're at when those plays are happening. I don't need a warning track. I have the ability to take my eye off the ball several times [and] when I get close to the wall, then I can time it up.

“And that was a perfect example.”

Tuesday’s contest was as much about the Blue Jays returning home for the first time during the 2023 campaign as it was about the stadium’s new look. Fans got their first chance to experience Phase One of the Rogers Centre renovations, which included new bar areas and social spaces, along with different food and drink options.

On the field, the biggest changes are a redesigned bullpen and the much-talked-about new outfield dimensions. 

Of note, the centre-field wall was lowered from 10 feet to eight, meaning Kiermaier’s catch simply wasn’t possible in any other year of the ballpark’s existence. It’s something that’s been on his radar.

“Ever since I signed back in December, so many times the wall is brought up,” said Kiermaier, who also added a game-tying solo home run in the fifth inning. “And I sit here and keep saying, all I want is opportunities. I want to make those plays. And baseball works in mysterious ways sometimes. Tonight, my second inning out there, I make that catch.”

He also showed off his defence on outs that weren’t made, as well.

In the eighth frame, Kiermaier hustled to his right on a ball that Spencer Torkelson sliced to the left-centre field gap. He couldn't make the catch but made sure the ball didn't get past him, leaping to cut it off on a bounce and then throwing on the run, almost like an infielder, toward second base. Torkelson slid in safely to the bag, just beating the throw, but Kiermaier’s display of sheer athleticism underlined just how special of a defender he is.

Most outfielders simply can't turn that into such a close play at second base.

“Yeah, that's kind of what he does,” said Schneider. “He's trying to get the ball in as quick as he can, playing the hop off the turf there. It’s just another dynamic that we've added, between him and [Daulton Varsho] in the outfield. You don't want to just expect it because you have to appreciate how good it is.”

Sure, Kiermaier’s played just one game with the Blue Jays’ faithful behind him. However, if his track record continues to play out, it’s going to be hard for fans to not expect more highlight-reel catches from him.

Kiermaier’s on another planet when it comes to defence and “The Catch” on Tuesday is an example of why.

“It was such a rush,” said Kiermaier. “Such a thrill. It's one I'll go back and watch probably 10 times tonight. And the Rogers Centre reaction to it was amazing. I was on Cloud Nine the whole night.”