I have so much fun doing what I do out there. Second inning out there, I was able to do just that. I just wanted to make plays and give the fans something to cheer for.

“I’d been talking about that wall for so long, how they’d dropped it down. But he hadn’t seen it, hadn’t played it, until that night. Throughout spring training, he’d been quizzed about the potential impact of that shortened wall. There’d been so much babble about the renovated ballpark, with its asymmetrical outfield and a fence that had been lopped by two feet.

“I’ve always said baseball works in mysterious ways.” “The stars aligned,” he smiles, recalling that magical evening and multiple standing ovations. Three innings later, he cranked a home run just for a boldface footnote in what was a wild 9-3 win. That was arguably the transfixing moment: the adoration of Kiermaier had begun. I’m having the time of my life, I really am.” And it’s blown expectations out of the water. But excited, too, to see how me and my family were going to deal with it. The transition coming over here was something I was anxious about. I knew one organization, one thing for so long.

I feel appreciated by my teammates, by fans. It didn’t take long for Toronto to do an emotional U-turn, gathering Kiermaier to the collective breast. I’ve never been one to portray myself as a villain. “When I signed, I’m sure there were a lot of Blue Jays fans that questioned (it): Why are we bringing that guy here? For me, it was: Hey, I might be one of those guys you hated as an opponent, but you’ll love having me. So, there was bad blood, at least in the public domain. And then there’d been, notoriously, that whole palming-the-card episode in 2021: pocketing the data card that had fallen out of catcher Alejandro’s Kirk’s wristband at home plate, which infuriated the Jays and predictably led to Kiermaier getting plunked with a pitch. After racking up more career hits (106) against Toronto than any other team, which predisposed plenty of fans to hold a grudge. Of course what he’s wearing, after a decade as a Ray, is the Blue Jays uni. “I think they’re green,” Kevin Kiermaier corrects.

Pretty much batting his baby blues seductively. He came to Toronto with his heart in his hands.

The rosie project series in order