Isiah Kiner-Falefa didn’t hold back when reflecting on last year’s ALDS - and he had some pointed words about his former team, the New York Yankees.
Now wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform, Kiner-Falefa looked back on the Toronto Blue Jays’ postseason path and made it clear: the Yankees were the preferred opponent. Not the tougher one.
"One hundred percent," Kiner-Falefa said when asked if the Blue Jays had hoped to face New York instead of Boston. “We thought it was a better matchup for us. We were watching that [series], and we were watching [Garrett] Crochet just dice up.”
At the time, Kiner-Falefa was part of the Blue Jays roster that had just dropped two of three games to Boston late in the regular season - a pivotal stretch that impacted playoff seeding. That stumble left Toronto either tied with or trailing New York in the AL East standings, and from the inside, the feeling was clear: Boston was the tougher out.
“We definitely felt [Boston] was a tougher matchup for us,” Kiner-Falefa added. “Once we saw the other team, we were a lot happier. It was definitely a topic.”
Toronto went on to back up that confidence, winning the ALDS in four games. The Yankees, meanwhile, saw their season end with a thud - another October exit in a championship drought that’s now stretched to 16 years.
On Wednesday, as pitchers and catchers reported to Yankees spring training, manager Aaron Boone was asked about his former player’s comments. His reaction? Blunt, and maybe a bit bemused.
“I guess he was right,” Boone said with a shrug. “Little surprising to hear IKF say that. But whatever, that’s fine.”
It’s not the kind of quote you expect to hear from a former Yankee, especially one who spent two seasons in the Bronx. But it speaks volumes about how the Blue Jays - and perhaps others around the league - viewed the Yankees down the stretch last year.
Boone, for his part, seems ready to turn the page. But the sting of a postseason letdown, and now a public jab from a former player, is just another reminder of how far the Yankees have to go to reclaim their October edge.