Yankees' Isiah Kiner-Falefa steals the show with diving grabs in centerfield
Isiah Kiner-Falefa #12 of the Yankees makes a diving catch to end the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, Apr. 20, 2023. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The day after Aaron Judge showed his flair for the spectacular in centerfield, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was more about survival.
Both got the job done. Only in Kiner-Falefa's case, the degree of difficulty may have been greater, when you consider his stunning inexperience at the position. Thursday marked his fourth career start in center — all this month with the Yankees.
Sure, Judge pulled back Shohei Ohtani’s 411-foot rocket from the brink of Monument Park the previous night, then followed it up with a flying Superman leap onto the turf for another run-saving grab. But at least Judge had an idea of what he was doing.
Not Kiner-Falefa. His two diving catches in Thursday’s 9-3 victory over the Angels? Those were firsts for him. All while battling a savage late-afternoon sun and the ensuing shadows in the Bronx.
Kiner-Falefa charged in before leaving his feet to snag Hunter Renfroe’s sinking liner to end the fourth inning. But the five-star catch of the day came in the fifth, after the Angels had scored their first run and still threatened with men at first and third. This time, Taylor Ward launched a deep drive toward the spacious lawn in left-centerfield, but Kiner-Falefa somehow had the closing speed to snag it with a diving stretch that didn’t have an inch to spare.
“I thought the second one was more impactful because of the situation, and if that gets by me, I think the guy from first probably scores,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I like the full-body extension personally, but they’re both new. I’ve never dove or made a play like that before. So It’s pretty cool for my first time at Yankee Stadium to make a play like that.”
It’s worth mentioning that Kiner-Falefa was brought to the Bronx a year ago to be the starting shortstop. He was until October, when the struggling IKF lost his grip on the job to Oswald Peraza. The fact that he’s already spent four games in centerfield this season — second only to Judge — speaks to the bizarre roster situation the Yankees find themselves in during the first month of the season.
Once Kiner-Falefa basically was eliminated from the shortstop competition in spring training, and Harrison Bader went down with an oblique injury, the Yankees began experimenting with him in center. This despite IKF having a total of 10 outfield games on his pro resume, and none in the majors. Initially, it seemed as if the Yankees were just trying to find him something to do, but apparently there was enough athletic ability to work with.
“That’s what we saw,” manager Aaron Boone said Thursday. “You’ve got to see it translate in games, but we were really encouraged by what we saw right away.”
Boone recalled talking with outfield coach (and former Mets manager) Luis Rojas about Kiner-Falefa's potential on the back fields in Tampa and getting positive reviews from the jump. But it’s a long way from the Grapefruit League to the Bronx, and taking the leap of faith to actually put Kiner-Falefa in centerfield — for a game that counts — is no small feat in itself.
For one, the Yankees have other options, including a bona fide centerfielder on their bench. Aaron Hicks has played 656 games in center over his 11-year career and is owed more than $30 million through the 2025 season. That still isn’t enough to convince Boone to use Hicks when Judge goes back to rightfield or even give him some regular reps in left, where Oswaldo Cabrera started Thursday.
In other words, Hicks currently has zero role on this team, other than as a highly-paid pinch runner, and that’s just a waste of a roster spot, regardless of the price. Hicks is a sunk cost at this point, and once we got to see Kiner-Falefa flying around the Yankee Stadium lawn Thursday afternoon, his value hit rock bottom.
Maybe IKF was a washout at shortstop, but he’s worth keeping around as a super-utility player. He even chipped in with a two-run single to add some two-out insurance in the seventh inning. That ever-ready mindset can be useful, and IKF has shown some admirable resiliency in snapping back from the disappointment of a year ago.
“I’m not off to the best start offensively,” said Kiner-Falefa, who is hitting .138 (4-for-29) in his limited role. “But it felt really good to make some plays out there and knowing all that preparation isn’t going to waste.”
His teammates appreciate the effort — and the attitude.
“He’s willing to do anything to help this team win,” said Nestor Cortes, the beneficiary of Kiner-Falefa's two highlight-reel catches. “I love the guy, how he plays, and he’s super-professional about everything he does. He comes in here and competes.”
Certainly not in the way anyone expected this season, but Kiner-Falefa stole the show Thursday, in the most improbable fashion.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
