Kiner-Falefa bringing energy, leadership to 'special' Bucs club

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PITTSBURGH -- Isiah Kiner-Falefa gave his Players' Weekend bat a second chance Saturday. He put it away after punching out his first time up Friday, but he broke out his Hawaiian-themed lumber again and immediately connected on a Luis Castillo sinker on his first swing of the game for his first homer as a Pirate.

Saturday would end up being Kiner-Falefa¡¯s best offensive performance yet with his new team, racking up three hits and scoring two runs to jump start the Pirates to a 7-2 win over the Mariners at PNC Park.

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Kiner-Falefa¡¯s spark at the top of the order was needed -- not just to stack a couple wins together and put their 10-game losing streak further in the rearview mirror -- but also because the Pirates placed their leadoff hitter, Andrew McCutchen, on the 10-day injured list before the game. Manager Derek Shelton said postgame that he would expect Kiner-Falefa to get the majority of the at-bats there in McCutchen¡¯s absence, and the utilityman is on board.

¡°I feel comfortable anywhere, just like my position,¡± Kiner-Falefa said. ¡°Utility on the field, lineup. Whatever the team needs me to do, I¡¯m comfortable doing.¡±

Acquired at the Trade Deadline, Kiner-Falefa has looked comfortable doing a whole lot on the diamond. Even before he got to bat Saturday, he made an impact by catching Victor Robles trying to advance on a ground ball to shortstop, delivering a strike to Ke¡¯Bryan Hayes for the unusual 6-5 fielder¡¯s choice. After batting cleanup Friday, he had his first three-hit game as a Pirate. Mix in home runs by Rowdy Tellez and Jared Triolo in addition to RBI knocks from Tellez and Joey Bart, and the offense had its best performances in over a week despite being without McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds.

A lot of that started with Kiner-Falefa.

¡°[Kiner-Falefa] brings energy every single day,¡± said Bailey Falter, who tied a career high with eight strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. ¡°He's been another leader in this clubhouse. That is awesome, too. He's playing really hard right now and the guy loves the game."

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The first texts Shelton received about Kiner-Falefa after he was acquired told him that, as well as that he was going to love the guy. That, paired with his leadership, knowledge and defensive versatility, made him a target for the Pirates this Trade Deadline.

¡°I think as a clubhouse guy, I don't know if he could have added a better person to our group,¡± Shelton said. ¡°Ton of energy. I think he's really good for the young players. He sees a lot of things. He's a smart baseball player.¡±

Kiner-Falefa added: ¡°It¡¯s been nice to be somewhere where I feel I¡¯m needed and wanted. I¡¯m really excited to help these young guys because I feel like this team is really, really good and has the pieces to have something special here.¡±

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Kiner-Falefa has been quite vocal that he likes this team¡¯s chances moving forward. In his first interview with his new club after the Trade Deadline, he said his focus was shifting from trying to win a batting title in the American League to winning a World Series. On Friday night on 93.7 The Fan, he said, "I see this team being a 100-win team next year."

At this point, it¡¯s probably wise to have at least one eye on the future with this club after their recent 10-game losing streak dropped their playoff odds to one percent, according to FanGraphs. But Kiner-Falefa¡¯s optimism is rooted in knowing that the vast majority of this pitching staff is returning next year in addition to witnessing what happened with the Orioles¡¯ quick turnaround in recent seasons. Kiner-Falefa¡¯s Yankees were able to beat the Orioles in 2022, but they had to sweat it out. Last year, the Orioles took off and won the division.

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He saw similar growing pains in that 10-game skid with the Pirates, with the exception being the last loss to the Padres.

¡°I think the other [losses] felt like we were winning the games and something came up of a little immaturity, a young team learning how to get over that hump,¡± Kiner-Falefa said. ¡°Those games were good for us to build and use those games to teach us a little something the last couple days. Also, you¡¯re not playing the Padres and Dodgers every game. Those are juggernaut teams and we kept up toe-to-toe. We didn¡¯t get the wins but anybody watching -- we were in those games.

¡°I just see a bright future with our pitching staff and the young guys we have.¡±

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