Steve Webb
DENVER, CO — Memo to Kevin Kiermaier. THESE GAMES ARE MEANINGLESS! DON’T GET INJURED!!! Ooops. Too late. Unfortunately, in the lone bad spot in the Dodgers’ big win over the Rockies on Saturday, outfielder Kevin Kiermaier had to exit the game after jamming his finger sliding into second base.
The play came in the top of the 4th, with Will Smith on third base and two out. With the Dodgers leading 4-2 at that point, Kiermaier ripped a solid single into the gap. Smith scored easily on the play, but Kiermaier came out of the box sniffing a double. He barrelled full speed into second base, only to be thrown out by left fielder Nolan Jones. The out, while not ideal, you can deal with. What came next was less good by a factor of ten.
In sliding into the bag, Kiermaier somehow managed to disloscate a finger. Youch. But dude, what are you thinking? You just got an RBI in a meaningless game. Get a fist bump from Clayton McCullough and call it a day. Instead, he’ll be out of the lineup indefinitely. Maybe out of the lineup forever.
After the game, Dave Roberts said that the dislocated finger was popped back into place by the training staff, and said that the outfielder’s status was “day-to-day.” He’s certain not to play in Sunday’s finale, one would think. And, there will be a big five days off in which the finger can heal before the NLDS.
However, I can imagine that it might take longer to heal than just the five days. And then what? Jason Heyward is an Astro now, so the Dodgers will have to cobble together an outfield with Tommy Edman, Chris Taylor, and Andy Pages sharing centerfield duties. Problem is, none of these guys, except maybe Edman, can hold a candle to Kiermaier when it comes to defense, which is the only reason why they got him from the Blue Jays in the first place.
Since coming over at the trade deadline, Kiermaier has had limited success in an LA uniform. In 34 games, he’s hitting .203 with one home run and 8 RBI. So while he’s absence might be no big loss offenesively, his nonpareil glove work will be sorely missed if he’s unable to play in October.
Doh! It would be a shame if one of the greatest centerfield defenders of his generation would end his career on a boneheaded baserunning play, but here we are. This very well might be the end for Kevin Kiermaier.
Which means we might not get the chance to see this ever again:
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