Inside The Pinstripes

Isiah Kiner-Falefa 'Disappointed' in His Defense, a Factor in Yankees' Walk-Off Loss in Cleveland

Kiner-Falefa struggled at shortstop on Saturday night, part of the reason why the Yankees ended up losing the game.

Max Goodman

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CLEVELAND — Isiah Kiner-Falefa sat at his locker in silence as reporters entered the Yankees' clubhouse at Progressive Field on Saturday night. 

New York's shortstop was making himself available after another suspect performance on the defensive side of the ball, one component in what turned out to be a walk-off loss for the visiting team in Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Guardians.

"Just disappointed," Kiner-Falefa said in a solemn tone once it was his turn to speak to members of the media. "I had multiple opportunities to help the team tonight and wasn't able to come through. I'm frustrated with myself."

Kiner-Falefa's sloppy night began in the first inning. With starter Luis Severino on the mound, runners on the corners and one man out, Josh Naylor sent an 82.8-mph line drive to the left side of the infield. Kiner-Falefa lurched to his right, but whiffed as he tried to snag the short-hop, allowing the ball to trickle into left-center field for an RBI single.

It wasn't a routine play, but Kiner-Falefa could've started an inning-ending double play had he gotten a glove on it to his backhand side. Instead, Severino needed to throw 15 more pitches, laboring to limit the damage in the first.

Fast forward to the bottom of the sixth and Severino had settled into a groove, retiring 13 batters in a row dating back to the second. The dominant stretch came to an end when Kiner-Falefa fielded a ground ball from second baseman Andrés Giménez. Shuffling with the baseball, Kiner-Falefa pulled his throw to the left side of first base, forcing Anthony Rizzo off the bag.

"I think [Giménez] was beating it anyway," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "Just another fast guy that gets down the line really well.”

It might've been a different story, and the end of the inning, if Kiner-Falefa made an accurate and strong throw to Rizzo's chest in that spot. Giménez reaching base didn't just contribute to the end of Severino's outing, but led to Cleveland's third run of the game. 

The starter gave up one more hit (to Gabriel Arias) before Boone made the call to the bullpen—reliever Lou Trivino promptly gave up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Will Brennan, allowing Giménez to scamper around and score. 

Finally, as the Guardians began to chip away at New York's two-run lead in the ninth, Kiner-Falefa threw to the wrong base. Myles Straw had poked a one-out single into shallow left field, a blooper that evaded the outstretched glove of left fielder Oswaldo Cabrera. The shortstop scooped it up and lobbed a throw back in to third baseman Josh Donaldson, allowing Straw to advance to second after taking a wide turn at first, making it seem like he was headed back to the first-base bag.

"Feel like I had the opportunity to come up with some key plays tonight to help the team win," the shortstop said. "Wasn't able to come up with them. Felt like those were big runs that cost us the game tonight. So, just got to wear this one.”

While Boone has routinely defended Kiner-Falefa this season—calling him "one of the game's best defenders at shortstop" back in July—the numbers and the eye test both say the infielder has struggled this year. The 27-year-old committed 15 errors at shortstop in 2022, producing minus-3 outs above average (tied for 23rd among qualified shortstops, per Statcast). Kiner-Falefa had better numbers when it comes to defensive runs saved, producing plus-10 DRS, which was tied for sixth among MLB shortstops, per FanGraphs.

Regardless of what has transpired during the regular season, Kiner-Falefa and the Yankees are now one loss away from elimination in the ALDS. If he or any Yankee makes a key mistake on the defensive side of the ball in Game 4 on Sunday night, it could lead to the end of this team's season.

“We’re not out of it yet,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I think the biggest takeaway is even with the disappointment right now, we still have an opportunity. At this point, all you can ask for is an opportunity to go out there and take the series. It’s definitely going to be tough. Our backs are to the wall. We’ll see what we’re made of.”

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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