IKF 'disappointed' with missed chances at SS

CLEVELAND -- When Isiah Kiner-Falefa was acquired by the Yankees on March 13 from the Twins, he was expected to be the club’s shortstop of the present, keeping the seat warm for the arrival of either Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza, New York’s heralded prospects.

Despite Volpe’s rise to the No. 1 spot on the Yankees’ Top 30 Prospects list (per MLB Pipeline) and Peraza’s promotion to the big league roster on Sept. 1, Kiner-Falefa found himself in the middle of the diamond on Saturday night in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, as he has been all season long.

While Kiner-Falefa has proven to be a dependable option at arguably the most important infield position, his shortcomings at short were glaring under Progressive Field’s bright spotlights. As the Yankees took a 6-5 walk-off loss to the Guardians -- falling one more defeat away from elimination in the best-of-five ALDS -- the 27-year-old’s defense came under fire. And he knew it.

“Me personally, I’m just disappointed in myself,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I feel like I had an opportunity to come up with some key plays tonight and help the team win. I wasn’t able to come up with them. I feel like those are big runs that cost us the game tonight. So, just got to wear this one.”

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Here’s a breakdown of those three pivotal moments:

First inning

With runners on the corners against Yankees starter Luis Severino, Josh Naylor hit a ground ball that bounced underneath the diving Kiner-Falefa and then rolled into left-center field, allowing the game’s first run to cross home plate.

Though Kiner-Falefa was positioned well enough to make the play, he mistimed a lunge for the ball, helping Cleveland strike first.

Sixth inning

With Severino closing in on a strong six-frame start and the Yankees holding a 4-2 lead, Andrés Giménez hit what looked to be an inning-ending grounder to Kiner-Falefa. The shortstop picked it up off the backhand and threw it to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, but he misfired the ball, pulling Rizzo off the bag and gifting Giménez an infield single.

A subsequent single by Gabriel Arias ended Severino’s outing after 106 pitches, and his replacement, reliever Lou Trivino, gave up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Will Brennan, keeping the Guardians hot on the Yanks’ pursuit.

“It looked like he maybe cut that ball a little bit,” manager Aaron Boone said of Kiner-Falefa's throw. “Made a good play on the backhand, and then it kind of cut on him so Rizz had to go out there. I think [Giménez] was beating it anyway. Just another fast guy that gets down the line really well.”

Ninth inning

With the Yankees two outs away from victory, Myles Straw hit another classic Cleveland bloop single into shallow territory that left fielder Oswaldo Cabrera couldn’t quite reach. Kiner-Falefa, who was backing him up on the play, collected the loose ball, then nonchalantly lobbed it to Josh Donaldson at third.

That allowed Straw to take second base and move into scoring position, igniting the rally that would end up costing the Yanks the game.

“I think he saw Straw halfway -- and I was actually surprised too that Straw turned around and went to first,” Boone said. “I think he saw there was no play at second, which there wasn’t had he ran initially. Obviously, he threw it into third, and that’s when Straw actually went.”

With the shocking result, a demoralized Yankees team now has to turn the page quickly. Game 4 is on Sunday night, and their season is on the line. The margin for error is at its slimmest point. And they know it.

“We’re not out of it yet,” Kiner-Falefa said. “So 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.”