Kevin Kiermaier Tweets Classy Message Thanking Rays Fans Despite Falling Short in ALDS
By Jerry Trotta
Before MLB's two Championship Series get underway, can we take a moment to throw some love in the direction of the Tampa Bay Rays?
The club overcame an abundance of obstacles in 2019, and concluded their trek by doing what virtually no baseball pundit across the country predicted: take the world-beating Houston Astros to five games in the ALDS. And let's be honest, if any pitcher other than Gerrit Cole was on the mound, Tampa might have just upset the American League juggernauts in Thursday's win-or-go-home showdown.
One of the aforementioned hurdles was a pedestrian showing by their fan base at Tropicana Field (until the postseason, when things improved noticeably). Despite that fact, outfielder Kevin Kiermaier took the time to shout out the club's devotees in an refreshingly earnest tweet on Friday night.
Shoutout to all the @RaysBaseball fans/supporters out there for being a part of the special season we just accomplished! Came up a bit short but ive never had more fun playin baseball in my life! Will never forget the atmosphere at the trop for games 3 and 4! We’ll be back!
— Kevin Kiermaier (@KKiermaier39) October 11, 2019
This is what its all about, folks-- remaining humble and keeping it classy even after falling one game short of advancing to the ALCS.
Kiermaier asserts that the Rays will be back and better than ever come 2020, and we wholeheartedly believe that notion despite the team having the lowest payroll in baseball.
To win the series, the Tampa Bay Rays have to now beat Zach Greinke, Justin Verlander, and Gerrit Cole in three consecutive games. It’s not over until it’s over, but good Lord, I don’t know if that hole can be dug out of.
— Josh Cameron (@joshcameron) October 6, 2019
It was definitely a steep hole to crawl out of, and they came awfully close to reaching the surface all the same. Thanks for the memories, Tampa.