Jeff Passan shuts down criticism of Isiah Kiner-Falefa's Blue Jays Game 7 moment

When a team loses Game 7 of the World Series in extra innings there is bound to be some second guessing. In the case of the Toronto Blue Jays' 5-4 loss to the LA Dodgers, the failure to score both the insurance runs they needed and the winning runs when the game was on the line, will forever sting in the hearts of the teams' fans.

One of those winning runs that failed to come across the plate was a bottom of the ninth opportunity as pinch runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa was out by a cleat length on a force out at the plate with the bases loaded. Some fans blame Kiner-Falefa for not taking a big enough lead, while many former players have spoken out to defend the veteran.

Now, an MLB insider is pointing out that Kiner-Falefa not only made the right choice to stick close to the bag, but that he was doing exactly as directed.

Jeff Passan shuts down criticism of Isiah Kiner-Falefa's Blue Jays Game 7 moment

ESPN's Jeff Passan put up a post on X (formerly twitter) that clearly indicates third base coach Carlos Febles marking off where he wanted IKF to be on the pitch. The video is zoomed in to show Kiner-Falefa did as instructed. Passan wrote, "As the discussion over the bases-loaded play in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 continues, one thing I haven’t seen pointed out: Blue Jays third-base coach Carlos Febles marked the exact spot where he wanted Isiah Kiner-Falefa to lead off."

"There are so many elements to this one play. Should he have taken another step? He was told not to, a point reinforced by other players, who have rightly pointed out that the fear of getting doubled off prompts coaches to keep runners close to the bag. Should he have run through home? Maybe, but it’s damn near impossible, with the speed of the game, to know where the throw is taking the catcher, and sliding is the standard practice," Passan continued. "Regardless, it’s illustrative of how many decisions go into a single play — and illustrates the nuances of the game that so often go unseen."

While this won't make any Blue Jays fan feel better about the outcome, there should be some vindication for Kiner-Falefa. He was in a situation with so much pressure and there were so many factors that could have come into play - including getting doubled off, which is how Game 6 ended for Toronto the night before. It's also true that had Rojas not bobbled the ball initially, that play never would have been close, regardless how big Kiner-Falefa's lead was.