NEW YORK — Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s willingness to do anything to help the Yankees win has been a recurring theme this season, though most of his contributions have come as a result of performing unexpected tasks in the outfield. On Wednesday night, it was his daring base running that drew attention.
Kiner-Falefa stole home in the seventh inning of a game against the Mets at Citi Field, sliding as pitcher Brooks Riley’s pitch went erratically toward the backstop, giving the visiting Yankees a 3-1 lead at the time. The Mets would win 4-3 in 10 innings.
It was Didi Gregorius’ first home run by a Yankees player on August 27, 2016 against Baltimore.
Kiner-Falefa reached on a fielder’s choice in which Josh Donaldson scored the go-ahead run and stepped to home plate as first baseman Mark Vientos threw. Kiner-Falefa stole second and advanced to third when catcher Francisco Alvarez’s throw ended up in center field.
The move on the bases came after Gerryt Cole and Justin Verlander had strong performances in a forced scrimmage of former teammates, each holding their opponent to one run over six innings.
