New York Yankees do-it-all reserve Isiah Kiner-Falefa did his best Shohei Ohtani impression Thursday night.
The New York Yankees haven't been playing their best baseball over the last month and Thursday night's 10-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners was a prime example of what currently ails them. The bats simply aren't up to speed for a team spending so much money on offense.
Pitching has also been an issue, to the point where Isiah Kiner-Falefa — the Yankees utility player who occasionally pitches blowout ninth innings in lieu of the actual pitchers on the roster — made his second appearance on the mound in the span of one week on Thursday.
He also got in one at-bat in the ninth inning. What he did with those sparse opportunities, both at the plate and on the mound, puts Kiner-Falefa is the history books despite the Yankees' team-wide struggles.
New York Yankees' Isiah Kiner-Falefa joins Shohei Ohtani in the 2023 MLB history books
Kiner-Falefa pitched the top of the ninth inning for New York, giving up zero runs and striking out Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez. His K-O pitch reached a whopping 79 miles per hour, with Suarez whiffing on a big cut to give IKF his first career strikeout.
Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Kiner-Falefa smacked a two-run homer to bring in the Yankees' only two runs of the evening. It took him exactly one inning to post the most impressive stat line of any Yankee last night.
Now Kiner-Falefa will forever be tied to Angels two-way singularity Shohei Ohtani in the record books. He's the first Yankees pitcher to hit a home run since Lindy McDaniel in 1972. Ohtani is one of the best pitchers and hitters in the league. IKF can't really compare, but it's still a fun story to tell his children and grandchildren.
For the season, IKF is slashing .237/.275/.362 at the plate with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 152 at-bats. He has now pitched three total innings this season, giving up three hits, one earned run, and striking out one batter. Not bad for a position player who jumps around as much as Kiner-Falefa.
The Yankees will hope more players can follow IKF's lead in the games to come. With Aaron Judge still riding the sidelines, New York is in desperate need of more offensive firepower and more consistent pitching. IKF can't do it all every night — others will have to step in and help.
