Red Sox's Isiah Kiner-Falefa Responds to Yankees Backlash

The Boston Red Sox infielder opened up about his comments.

Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) looks on against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox made a handful of additions this past offseason and two of the club's pickups made comments that triggered responses from the New York Yankees. That's certainly one way to get the fanbase to love you right away.

Sonny Gray spoke about how he never wanted to play for the Yankees. Isiah Kiner-Falefa said that the Toronto Blue Jays hoped that the Yankees would take down the Red Sox in the playoffs last season because they thought New York was an easier matchup.

Both comments got responses from New York. On Wednesday, the Red Sox faced off against the Yankees and Kiner-Falefa opened up about the response, as transcribed by Greg Joyce of The New York Post.

The Red Sox infielder responded

Feb 17, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) poses for a photo during media day at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

"I just gave the honest answer,” Kiner-Falefa said of his comments that the Blue Jays preferred to face New York over Boston. “It is what it is. I love the guys over there. I have nothing bad to say about anybody over there. It was just a matchup thing. [Garrett] Crochet’s an unbelievable pitcher and we did not want to face Crochet after he went eight innings against us [in late September]. ...

"I was just hearing what everybody else was telling me. Obviously you know you have all the [Yankees] big bombers and [Aaron] Judge and all those guys. I’ve seen how good these guys are. It’s like, ‘Are you guys sure?’ I didn’t mean to ruffle the feathers. I forgot how it is back in a big market.”

Kiner-Falefa was a member of the Yankees in 2022 and 2023. Now, he's going to get the other viewpoint from the best rivalry in baseball. It's not shocking that his comments led to a response from New York. These two teams obviously are connected to one another often.

At the end of the day, Kiner-Falefa was honest about what the Blue Jays thought at the time. Now, it's all in the past. Boston and New York certainly are going to see a lot of each other in 2026. Hopefully, Boston even gets a shot at revenge in the postseason as well.