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Isiah Kiner-Falefa has touching words for Canadian fans after return to Blue Jays

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Sep 10 2025, 2:32 pm
Isiah Kiner-Falefa has touching words for Canadian fans after return to Blue Jays
Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images

Isiah Kiner-Falefa certainly didn’t waste any time getting himself reacquainted with the Toronto Blue Jays fanbase.

On Tuesday night at the Rogers Centre, Kiner-Falefa was playing his first home game for the Blue Jays in 2025, rejoining the team he played for last season after a waiver claim late last month.

Kiner-Falefa had played 119 games this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who currently sit 13th in the National League, and far out from a playoff spot.

But suddenly thrust into the midst of a postseason race, the 30-year-old came up in a big spot in Tuesday’s contest against the Houston Astros.

Entering the game as a ninth-inning pinch-hitter, Kiner-Falefa drove in two runs with the bases loaded to tie the score at three runs apiece.

The Blue Jays eventually walked the game off in the 10th inning via a hit from catcher Tyler Heineman.

For a player who could’ve easily been out of the majors a few weeks ago if he had gone unclaimed on waivers, Kiner-Falefa seemed to be appreciating the chance to come up big.

“I was just trying to be in the moment,” Kiner-Falefa said in an on-field post-game interview with Sportsnet. “Great crowd. I’m so happy to be back in Canada. Got goosebumps out there, just trying to slow it down and just appreciate where I’m at.”

ā€œI visualized it walking up to the plate. I was likeā€¦ I went to Pittsburgh for this hit right here. Itā€™s all come full circle,ā€ he added postgame, per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.

As the Jays’ season winds down, it’s unclear how many more big moments a player like Kiner-Falefa might get on the stretch drive of September. But for the time being, he appears to be riding the wave of momentum and having a blast upon his return north of the border.

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