Hoch's Newsletter: This Yankee's surprising Hall of Fame lineage

April 21, 2022

The Yankees are returning home to the Bronx this weekend, hosting their first series against the freshly renamed Cleveland Guardians before welcoming the Baltimore Orioles to town.

It’s been an episode of “small sample size theatre” through the first weeks of the regular season, witnessing some pleasant results (Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton combining for six homers and 18 RBIs, for example, or Jose Trevino banging five hits in his first 10 at-bats).

We’ve also seen a few things that we probably wouldn’t have predicted (Gerrit Cole with a 6.35 ERA through three starts, or Joey Gallo still without an extra-base hit, striking out 15 times in 33 at-bats).

Fortunately, it’s a long season. This one is just getting started. Enjoy the newsletter, and visit MLB.com and Yankees.com for the latest updates!

FAMILY TIES

Every time Isiah Kiner-Falefa trots out to his shortstop position in a Yankees uniform, he is living a boyhood dream, one that the player nicknamed “Hawaiian Hustle” formed while watching the Bombers from five time zones away.

Yet big league ball is in Kiner-Falefa’s blood, and he has the paperwork to prove it. Kiner-Falefa is a fourth cousin of Hall of Fame outfielder Ralph Kiner, a six-time All-Star who slugged 369 home runs for the Pirates, Cubs and Cleveland from 1946-55, then went on to a memorable career as an original Mets broadcaster. 

“Ever since I was a little boy, my grandfather always told me that,” Kiner-Falefa said. “It was something that I would talk about with my friends and family, but I wasn’t really outspoken about it. It was just cool that I had a relative who played Major League Baseball.”

Kiner-Falefa recently shared a genealogy report with MLB.com, commissioned last July by his grandfather, John Kiner.

Kiner-Falefa’s grandfather (born in 1916) comes from Kansas City, Mo., and Kiner (born in 1922) was from Santa Rita, N.M. An expert traced both family trees to Pennsylvania; circa the early 1800s, Kiner-Falefa’s ancestors lived in Mifflin County, Pa., while Kiner had roots in Perry County, Pa. — about 45 miles apart by modern-day roads.

“To know I’m related to someone that’s in the Hall of Fame, that’s an honor,” Kiner-Falefa said. “The fact that my grandparents told me that, it meant a lot. I was just starting in the game, so it kind of gave me a little bit of direction.”

Though they never met, Kiner-Falefa and Ralph Kiner were once in the same stadium at the same time. Kiner-Falefa was in attendance as a fan at Shea Stadium on July 14, 2007, when the Mets celebrated Ralph Kiner Night.

Kiner-Falefa remembers shouting, “That’s my cousin!” during the pregame ceremony, which honored Kiner’s five decades in the broadcasting booth. Kiner died in 2014, at age 91.

“That was the one Mets game I ever went to, and he didn’t know who we were,” Kiner-Falefa said. “My dad and I were in the upper deck. It was cool to be there, but I wish I could have gone up there and talked to him.”

NASTY NESTOR

Nestor Cortes recognized something special was happening in the fourth inning on Sunday at Camden Yards, showcasing video-game command as he dotted the outside corner with a cutter. He reared back to pump one more fastball through the strike zone, completing an immaculate inning.

Cortes struck out the side on nine pitches, highlighting an effort that saw the left-hander register a career-high 12 strikeouts over five-plus frames. Cortes proudly showcased a keepsake ball on the top shelf of his locker after the game, a 5-0 loss to the Orioles.

“It’s fun to be out there every single time when you’re on a roll like that,” Cortes said. “It just makes it a little sweeter. It’s unfortunate we didn’t come out with the ‘W.'”

In the fourth inning, Cortes struck out Anthony Santander on a foul tip, caught Ryan McKenna looking and fanned Robinson Chirinos to complete the immaculate inning — believed to be the ninth in franchise history. Michael King (June 4) and Chad Green (July 4) achieved the feat last season.

The Yankees’ first immaculate inning belongs to Al Downing (Aug. 11, 1967, vs. Cleveland). Others have included: Ron Guidry (Aug. 7, 1984, vs. White Sox), A.J. Burnett (June 20, 2009, vs. Marlins), Iván Nova (May 29, 2013, vs. Mets), Brandon McCarthy (Sept. 17, 2014, vs. Rays) and Dellin Betances (Aug. 2, 2017, vs. Tigers).

“He was pretty special,” manager Aaron Boone said of Cortes.

Not recognizing the significance of the Chirinos strikeout, catcher Kyle Higashioka lobbed the ball into the seats behind the third-base dugout, prompting cries of “Shame!” from several players on the Yankees’ bench.

Cole brokered a swap with the fan who snagged the souvenir, a young man in a pinstriped jersey who instead went home with a baseball autographed by Cole.

“Early on, I was having a little trouble gripping the ball with the wind and how dry it was out there,” said Cortes, who tossed pitches as slow as 68.6 mph and as fast as 91.9 mph. “Once it started heating up and the wind calmed down, I was able to get a grip. After the third inning, I was on a roll.”