As the Guardians battled their way back and eventually to a walk-off win over the Yankees to push the Bombers to the brink of elimination in Saturday’s game four, Isiah Kiner-Falefa couldn’t help but think about where he could have helped the Bombers avoid such a heartbreaking scenario.
In the first inning, Kiner-Falefa seemed to get caught in between on a liner by Josh Naylor, and instead of catching it on a fly or turning an inning-ending double play, the ball squirted under his glove and allowed the first run of the game to score, and also forced Luis Severino to add more to his pitch count in the early going.
In the sixth, with Severino having settled down, Kiner-Falefa took too much time on an eventual wide throw to first on a ground ball by Andres Giminez, and Gimenez would eventually come around to score later in the inning.
“Just disappointed,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I had multiple opportunities to help the team tonight and I wasn't able to come through.
“I was just frustrated with myself.”
Kiner-Falefa’s defense has been a hot topic all season in Yankees Universe, with a large portion of the fanbase criticizing his fielding, while Aaron Boone and the Yanks have praised it. But Kiner-Falefa’s defense certainly hurt the Yanks in their biggest game of the season.
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