The sun has already set on Kevin Kiermaier&#8217;s 12-year major-league career, as the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder was left off the club&#8217;s World Series roster ahead of last Friday&#8217;s Game 1 versus the New York Yankees. But long before that moment arrived, he briefly contemplated about season No. 13. 
Kiermaier, a four-time Glove Glove winner and the holder of a 2015 Platinum Glove, fully intends to retire once the World Series concludes and hopes he can ride off into the sunset with a bedazzled championship ring on his finger. However, he admitted his body felt good enough following his mid-season trade from the Toronto Blue Jays that playing another year could&#8217;ve been possible.
<blockquote>&#8220;When I came over here, I wasn&#8217;t feeling good from how everything in Toronto [happened] &#8212; just body-wise,&#8221; <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/dodgers-kiermaier-eager-to-coach-after-his-playing-career/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiermaier told Sportsnet&#8217;s Hazel Mae</a> prior to Game 4 on Tuesday. &#8220;Then, when I played on grass for consecutive weeks in a row and I had a really good stretch where I was playing phenomenal defence and swinging the bat again. There were times when I was sitting in the outfield, where I&#8217;m like, &#8216;I know that I could still do it.&#8217;
&#8220;But, as time has gone on, I know where I&#8217;m at mentally, where I&#8217;ve been at. I know this is it.&#8221;</blockquote>
The 34-year-old returned for a second season with Toronto in 2024, experiencing a massive offensive decline from the previous campaign, slumping to a .195/.236/.310 slash line with 13 extra-base hits &#8212; including four home runs &#8212; across 82 games, worth 0.4 fWAR. That was a significant step down from the 2.8 rating he posted in 129 contests in Year 1 with the Blue Jays.
Kiermaier was ultimately sent to the Dodgers prior to the July 30 trade deadline, providing him one final opportunity to chase a World Series. In 34 games, he only logged 64 plate appearances, hitting .203/.242/.322 with a pair of doubles, one triple and a home run.
This post-season, the left-handed-hitting centre-fielder has earned just two plate appearances, mostly appearing as a late-game defensive replacement &#8212; a role he also primarily occupied down the stretch of the regular season.
<blockquote>&#8220;I&#8217;m so pumped to relax next year and get into coaching at some point and preach, teach outfield defence,&#8221; Kiermaier said of his post-playing-career plans. &#8220;I get so much satisfaction and joy helping other people, and I think I&#8217;m going to be a much better coach than what I was as a player. Whatever happens in the future, we&#8217;ll just roll with the punches like always.&#8221;</blockquote>
Despite receiving sporadic playing time, Kiermaier has had a front-row seat to one of the greatest, most-talented trios baseball has ever seen &#8212; Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who is, undisputedly, the front-runner to win this year&#8217;s World Series MVP Award.
<blockquote>&#8220;[It&#8217;s] truly incredible to watch three future Hall-of-Famers bat 1-2-3 every night ever since I&#8217;ve been here for the most part,&#8221; Kiermaier said. &#8220;You watch these guys, you respect them from the opposition. But when you&#8217;re able to be around them every day and watch them work each day, you understand why they are so good &#8212; and it&#8217;s been an absolute joy to watch. I&#8217;m so lucky to have this opportunity.&#8221;</blockquote>
Four years ago, Kiermaier was on the losing side of the fall classic as the Dodgers captured the 2020 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays &#8212; whom he spent a decade playing for &#8212; at a neutral site in Texas because of COVID-19 restrictions. This time, his team is on the verge of winning it all.
Los Angeles, which holds a 3-1 series lead over New York in this year&#8217;s classic, can secure its eighth World Series title with a series-clinching victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.

The sun has already set on Kevin Kiermaier's 12-year major-league career, as the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder was left off the club's World Series roster ahead of last Friday's Game 1 versus the New York Yankees. But long before that moment arrived, he briefly contemplated about season No. 13. 

Kiermaier, a four-time Glove Glove winner and the holder of a 2015 Platinum Glove, fully intends to retire once the World Series concludes and hopes he can ride off into the sunset with a bedazzled championship ring on his finger. However, he admitted his body felt good enough following his mid-season trade from the Toronto Blue Jays that playing another year could've been possible.
<blockquote>"When I came over here, I wasn't feeling good from how everything in Toronto [happened] -- just body-wise," <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/dodgers-kiermaier-eager-to-coach-after-his-playing-career/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiermaier told Sportsnet's Hazel Mae</a> prior to Game 4 on Tuesday. "Then, when I played on grass for consecutive weeks in a row and I had a really good stretch where I was playing phenomenal defence and swinging the bat again. There were times when I was sitting in the outfield, where I'm like, 'I know that I could still do it.'

"But, as time has gone on, I know where I'm at mentally, where I've been at. I know this is it."</blockquote>
The 34-year-old returned for a second season with Toronto in 2024, experiencing a massive offensive decline from the previous campaign, slumping to a .195/.236/.310 slash line with 13 extra-base hits -- including four home runs -- across 82 games, worth 0.4 fWAR. That was a significant step down from the 2.8 rating he posted in 129 contests in Year 1 with the Blue Jays.

Kiermaier was ultimately sent to the Dodgers prior to the July 30 trade deadline, providing him one final opportunity to chase a World Series. In 34 games, he only logged 64 plate appearances, hitting .203/.242/.322 with a pair of doubles, one triple and a home run.

This post-season, the left-handed-hitting centre-fielder has earned just two plate appearances, mostly appearing as a late-game defensive replacement -- a role he also primarily occupied down the stretch of the regular season.
<blockquote>"I'm so pumped to relax next year and get into coaching at some point and preach, teach outfield defence," Kiermaier said of his post-playing-career plans. "I get so much satisfaction and joy helping other people, and I think I'm going to be a much better coach than what I was as a player. Whatever happens in the future, we'll just roll with the punches like always."</blockquote>
Despite receiving sporadic playing time, Kiermaier has had a front-row seat to one of the greatest, most-talented trios baseball has ever seen -- Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who is, undisputedly, the front-runner to win this year's World Series MVP Award.
<blockquote>"[It's] truly incredible to watch three future Hall-of-Famers bat 1-2-3 every night ever since I've been here for the most part," Kiermaier said. "You watch these guys, you respect them from the opposition. But when you're able to be around them every day and watch them work each day, you understand why they are so good -- and it's been an absolute joy to watch. I'm so lucky to have this opportunity."</blockquote>
Four years ago, Kiermaier was on the losing side of the fall classic as the Dodgers captured the 2020 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays -- whom he spent a decade playing for -- at a neutral site in Texas because of COVID-19 restrictions. This time, his team is on the verge of winning it all.

Los Angeles, which holds a 3-1 series lead over New York in this year's classic, can secure its eighth World Series title with a series-clinching victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.

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