Kevin Kiermaier was once a hated rival for the Toronto Blue Jays, but a gesture he performed on Tuesday night likely will make him a fan favorite.
The 33-year-old, who signed a one-year, $9 million deal with Toronto this offseason, gave a young fan his batting gloves during the Blue Jays’ 7-0 victory over the visiting White Sox.
A smiling Kiermaier threw his two batting gloves to an overjoyed and happily stunned boy whose mouth was agape after he received the memento, and soon after the veteran gave him a smiling heads up from the dugout.
“Look at the look,” the Sportsnet broadcast opined with some laughs. “Nice play, Kevin! Beautiful.”
Kiermaier also has had a good night at the plate, belting a two-run triple in the fourth inning in which he drove in Whit Merrifield and Danny Jensen to give the Blue Jays a 5-0 lead.
With the victory, Toronto improved to 15-9 in the AL East.
Kiermaier, who played his first 10 major league season with the Rays, is off to a good start for the Blue Jays. He is hitting .299 for the season after going 1-for-4 in the win, and he now has eight RBIs after he belted his two-run triple.
But even if Kiermaier, a career .249 hitter, slumps, he likely has made a lifetime fan of a boy who now had two of his batting gloves.