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Former Tampa Bay Rays fan favorite wins World Series ring, then retires


Former Tampa Bay Rays fan favorite wins World Series ring, then retires

Congratulations to former Tampa Bay Rays star (and fan favorite) Kevin Kiermaier, who earned a World Series ring this week as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in five games to secure the eighth World Series title in franchise history. It was the first title for the Dodgers since the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Kiermaier was not on the active World Series roster, but did play for the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. They won that series against the New York Mets.

It was a great end to the season – and a career – for Kiermaier. At the start of the season he announced that he would be retiring at the end of this year.

According to Spotrac, he earned just over $68 million in his career.

Kiermaier spent 10 years with the Rays, helping them advance to the 2020 World Series. He signed with the Blue Jays for 2023 and then re-signed for the 2024 season before being traded to Los Angeles at the trade deadline.

As a hitter, Kiermaier has a lifetime average of .246. He hit just .197 for both organizations this season. His best offensive seasons came early in his career, when he hit .263 in both 2014 and 2015.

One of the best defenders of his era, Kiermaier won four Gold Glove Awards. He won three of them with the Rays and another with Toronto.

He already received MVP votes with the Rays in the 2015 season.

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