Stealing home plate is usually one of the harder feats to pull off in baseball. It’s one thing to get take second base and put yourself in a quality scoring position. It’s another endeavor entirely to literally steal a run right in front of the opposing pitcher’s and catcher’s eyes.
And yet, when the New York Yankees Isiah Kiner-Falefa pulled off a home-plate steal on Wednesday night, he made it look way too easy.
Given the massive lead he had on the third-base line, I’m still trying to decide whether Kiner-Falefa deserves credit for being proactive or the Mets should be pilloried for falling asleep at the wheel.
Is it… both? Let’s say it’s both, and give credit to Kiner-Falefa for becoming the first Yankee to steal home plate since Didi Gregorius in 2016.
.@Isiahkf11 has entered Subway Series lore.
(MLB x @Ziprecruiter) pic.twitter.com/1jFGt5JRYy
— MLB (@MLB) June 15, 2023
I mean, seriously — what is Brooks Raley doing? Did Francisco Alvarez really not notice Kiner-Falefa more halfway up the third-base line before a bad pitch? What a classic Mets play.
Well, at least the Mets ended up winning 4-3 over their crosstown rivals. I suppose that means a lot more than surrendering an embarrassing run off a home-plate steal.