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Isiah Kiner-Falefa
American baseball player (born 1995) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Isiah Kiner-Falefa (born March 23, 1995), often abbreviated as IKF, is an American professional baseball utility player and a current free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Kiner-Falefa was selected by the Texas Rangers in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2018. He won the American League (AL) Gold Glove Award as a third baseman in 2020.
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Early life
Kiner-Falefa was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was introduced to baseball at the age of five by his grandfather. By the time he reached seventh grade, his talent was evident, prompting his parents to enroll him in travel teams to help him gain exposure through tournaments across the United States.[1]
Kiner-Falefa attended Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu, graduating in 2013. Recognizing the underrepresentation of Pacific Islanders in baseball, he traveled to Samoa during this period to instruct children in the sport, reflecting his commitment to promoting youth baseball development.[1]
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Professional career
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Minor leagues (2013–2018)
Kiner-Falefa was selected 130th overall by the Texas Rangers in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB draft, directly out of high school.[2][3] He began his professional career shortly thereafter, making his official debut with the Rookie-level AZL Rangers on June 20.[4] Kiner-Falefa finished the 2013 season batting .322/.388/.356 with 11 RBIs in 41 games.[5][6] In 2014, he played for three teams: the AZL Rangers, the Short-Season A Spokane Indians, and the Class A Hickory Crawdads, batting a combined .246/.316/.287 with 16 RBIs in 79 games.[5][6] In 2015, Kiner-Falefa split time between the Crawdads and the Advanced-A High Desert Mavericks, batting a combined .296/.356/.341 with 40 RBIs in 98 games.[5][6] In 2016, he primarily played for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, with a brief three-game stint back with the AZL Rangers, batting a combined .252/.337/.282 with 28 RBIs in 111 games.[5][6] During the off-season, he played for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League (AFL), batting .194/.350/.194 with three RBIs in 10 games.[5] He remained with the RoughRiders in 2017, batting .288/.350/.390 with five home runs and 48 RBIs in 129 games.[5][6] After the 2017 season, the Texas Rangers added Kiner-Falefa to their 40-man roster.[7] He started the 2018 season with the Triple-A Round Rock Express, batting .200/.333/.200 with one RBI in five games before being called up to the MLB by the Texas Rangers, where he remained for the rest of the season.[5][6] Throughout his minor league career within the Texas Rangers organization, Kiner-Falefa demonstrated versatility by playing multiple defensive positions, including catcher, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman.[8][9][10]
Texas Rangers (2018–2021)
Kiner-Falefa made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on April 10, 2018, playing for the Texas Rangers in a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.[11] Four days later, on April 14, he hit his first career home run in a game against the Houston Astros.[12] On June 20, he achieved a unique milestone by catching for pitcher Austin Bibens-Dirkx in a game against the Kansas City Royals. This marked the first time in MLB history that both members of a battery had hyphenated last names.[13] Kiner-Falefa finished the 2018 season batting .261/.325/.357 with four home runs and 34 RBIs in 111 games.[14] Defensively, he demonstrated positional versatility by playing as a catcher, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman.
Kiner-Falefa began the 2019 season sharing catching duties with veteran Jeff Mathis.[15] He was placed on the injured list on June 7 and was recalled on August 2 to serve as a utility infielder and third-string catcher.[16] He finished the season batting .238/.299/.322 with one home run and 21 RBIs in 65 games.[14]
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Kiner-Falefa batted .280/.329/.370 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 58 games.[14] At the end of the season, he received his first MLB award, the American League (AL) Gold Glove Award, for his exceptional defensive performance as a third baseman.[17]
In the 2021 season, Kiner-Falefa batted .271/.312/.357 with eight home runs and 53 RBIs in 158 games.[14] He led the MLB with 136 singles. Defensively, he moved to shortstop and led his position with 436 assists and 98 double plays.
New York Yankees (2022–2023)
On March 12, 2022, the Texas Rangers traded Kiner-Falefa along with pitcher Ronny Henriquez to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Mitch Garver.[18] The following day, the Twins traded Kiner-Falefa, together with Ben Rortvedt and Josh Donaldson, to the New York Yankees in a deal for Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela.[19][20] Serving as the Yankees' starting shortstop during the 2022 season,[21] Kiner-Falefa batted .261/.314/.327 with four home runs and 48 RBIs in 142 games.[14]
During spring training in 2023, Kiner-Falefa competed with Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza for the Yankees' starting shortstop position.[22] Volpe ultimately won the role,[23] and Kiner-Falefa transitioned into a utility player.[24] On April 13, he made his pitching debut in the ninth inning of an 11–2 loss against the Minnesota Twins. Notably, his second pitch, a 38.5 mph eephus pitch, was the slowest pitch ever recorded in Yankees history during the Statcast era.[25] This record was subsequently broken by Austin Slater, who threw a 36.4 mph pitch on September 10, 2025.[26] On June 14, during the Subway Series against the New York Mets, Kiner-Falefa stole home off pitcher Brooks Raley, becoming the first Yankee to accomplish this feat since Didi Gregorius on August 27, 2016.[27] On June 22, he made his third pitching appearance of the season in the ninth inning of a 10–0 loss to the Seattle Mariners, marking the first time a Yankees position player pitched three times in a single season.[28] He pitched a scoreless inning and recorded his first career strikeout against Eugenio Suárez. Additionally, batting as a pitcher in the same game, he hit a two-run home run off reliever Chris Flexen, becoming the first Yankee to homer as a pitcher since Lindy McDaniel on September 28, 1972, the final season before the American League (AL) adopted the designated hitter rule.[29] Kiner-Falefa finished the 2023 season batting .242/.306/.340 with six home runs and 37 RBIs in 113 games.[14] Following the season, he became a free agent.
Toronto Blue Jays (2024)
On December 29, 2023, Kiner-Falefa signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.[30][31] He played in 83 games for the Blue Jays during the 2024 season, batting .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs.[14]
Pittsburgh Pirates (2024–2025)
On July 30, 2024, the Toronto Blue Jays traded Kiner-Falefa to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Charles McAdoo.[32][33] He played in 50 games for the Pirates during the remainder of the 2024 season, batting .240/.265/.322 with one home run and 10 RBIs.[14]
Kiner-Falefa played in 119 games for the Pirates during the 2025 season, batting .264/.300/.332 with one home run and 35 RBIs.[14]
Toronto Blue Jays (2025)
On August 31, 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays claimed Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.[34] He played in 19 games for the Blue Jays during the remainder of the 2025 season, batting .233/.258/.367 with one home run and five RBIs.[14]
In Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, with the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers tied 4–4 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Kiner-Falefa entered the game as a pinch-runner for second baseman Bo Bichette, who was limited by a knee injury. With one out and the bases loaded, Kiner-Falefa was on third base when Blue Jays batter Daulton Varsho hit a ground ball to Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas. Attempting to score the potential championship-winning run, Kiner-Falefa was forced out at home plate on a force play. Although coaching instructed him to hold a close lead at third base to avoid a possible double play on a line drive, Kiner-Falefa faced criticism on social media after the game for taking only a small primary lead, especially since Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy was positioned far from the base. He was also faulted for not taking a larger secondary lead while Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered the pitch. Additionally, Kiner-Falefa received criticism for sliding feet-first into home plate rather than running through it, a technique generally considered faster and more common on force plays similar to those at first base. Ultimately, the Dodgers won the game 5–4 in extra innings, and Kiner-Falefa was widely perceived as having possibly cost the Blue Jays the championship title.[35][36]
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Personal life
Kiner-Falefa is of Samoan descent through his father and of Japanese and White American descent, with traces of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry, through his mother.[1] His maternal grandmother was from Hiroshima, Japan.[37]
Kiner-Falefa is the middle of three siblings. He has an older half-brother, Jaris, and a younger sister, Leka, who played college volleyball for the North Texas Mean Green, UNLV Rebels, and Chaminade Silverswords.[38]
Through his mother's lineage, Kiner-Falefa is the second cousin twice removed of Baseball Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. Their shared ancestor, Mary McPherran Kiner of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, was Kiner's great-grandmother and Kiner-Falefa's great-great-great-grandmother. Kiner-Falefa's maternal grandfather, John Kiner, attended the University of Hawaii and chose to remain in Hawaii rather than return to the mainland; he often shared stories with young Isiah about his second cousin Ralph.[39]
Kiner-Falefa married Tayea Chun, a fellow Hawaii native, on December 21, 2024, in a wedding ceremony held in Kapolei, Hawaii.[40]
References
External links
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