Cash on Kiermaier: ‘He sets the tone’

ST. PETERSBURG — On the first pitch that Kevin Kiermaier saw on Wednesday, he hit a 425-foot blast, which by his count was the farthest he’d hit a ball in his entire life.

But even with the distance — it cleared the bleachers in right field and nearly hit the scoreboard — Kiermaier, and his manager Kevin Cash, would tell you it wasn’t his biggest hit of the day. That would be his game-tying single in the fourth, one of three hits in a 7-6 win over Baltimore at Tropicana Field.

“[Orioles starter Dylan] Bundy does a great job pitching [against] me,” Kiermaier said. “He’s not afraid to throw his split today in any count. At the same time he throws 96, 97, 98 [mph] as well. So you always have to be geared up for that. I saw a pitch up in his hand, and it was …

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