Perrotto: Isiah Kiner-Falefa Proud of Being a Pirates’ Legacy

Isiah Kiner-Falefa understands the doubt.

People look at the Pittsburgh Pirates infielder and find it farfetched to think he is related to franchise legend Ralph Kiner.

But the two are indeed related. They are fourth cousins on Kiner-Falefa’s mother’s side of the family.

“I have the paperwork to prove it,” said Kiner-Falefa, who the Pirates acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on July 30 at the MLB trade deadline. “I tell people, but I’m brown and they look at me like I’m lying. I’m Polynesian, too, so people think there is no chance I’m related to Ralph Kiner.

“I’ve stopped trying to convince people, but my grandpa is from Kansas. He’s full white. Ralph Kiner is from New Mexico. Full white. They were cousins.”

Kiner-Falefa also has a reason for using two surnames. Under Hawaiian law, a child must be legally identified by both his parents’ names if they have not married within seven years of the child’s birth – though his mother and father are still together.

The first thing Kiner-Kalefa thought of after learning he had been traded to the Pirates was Kiner’s legacy in Pittsburgh.

Kiner played for the Pirates for eight seasons from 1946-53 and the slugging outfielder became one of the most popular players in franchise history. He led the NL in homers for six straight seasons from 1947-52 and his 54 longballs in 1949 still stand as the Pirates’ single-season record.

Beyond his power-hitting feats, Kiner transcended sports. He dated movie stars and was one of the first athletes to ever work in broadcasting, serving as an analyst for WTAE-TV (Ch. 4) during the 1960 World Series in which the Pirates upset the New York Yankees.

Kiner went on to broadcast New York Mets games for 53 years, earning as much fame for his work in the booth as he did in the batter’s box. Kiner was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975 and died in 2014 at 91.

The Pirates were typically slow to understand Kiner’s popularity and impact on the franchise. His No. 4 was not retired until 1987, a wrong that former Pirates PR chief Rick Cerrone righted. There is also a sculpture of Kiner’s hands inside PNC Park, which is far from the statue he deserves.

“Every time we played here, I would always look up at the number, I would always go visit the hands,” Kiner-Falefa said. “It means a lot. I haven’t met that side of the family. My grandpa went to school at the University of Hawaii and he never went back. That’s how he got to Hawaii and wasn’t really able to meet his side of the family because he never wanted to leave. You can’t blame him. Who wants to leave Hawaii?

“It’s pretty cool. It’s a full-circle moment. Talked to my grandpa a little bit and he’s ecstatic. He’s really happy that I’m able to be here and represent that part of my family. Hopefully, I can meet more of the family because I wasn’t able to meet him or that side, so it would be cool if they could come down or we could figure something out.”

Kiner-Falefa was in the same ballpark once with his cousin, though.

In the summer of 2007, when Kiner-Falefa was 12 years old, a travel team he played on in Hawaii came to New York City and won a tournament. As part of the reward, the team attended a game at Yankee Stadium and a Mets game at Shea Stadium.

The Mets honored Kiner in a pre-game ceremony that night at Shea Stadium. Kiner-Falefa was sitting in the upper deck, unsuccessfully convincing his teammates that he was related to the man being feted.

“I really wish I could have met him,” Kiner-Falefa said wistfully. “I wish I could have somehow made it down to the field.”

Kiner-Falefa is now carrying on Ralph’s legacy, though, and that’s cool in its own way.