Isiah Kiner-Falefa benched by Yankees in Game 4 of ALDS; Aaron Hicks starts in left

CLEVELAND — Yankees manager Aaron Boone benched Isiah Kiner-Falefa for Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Sunday after the shortstop had three key misplays in Saturday night’s Game 3 defeat.

Rookie Oswaldo Cabrera, who had started the first three games in leftfield, was given the nod at shortstop. Cabrera started three games at shortstop during the season for the Yankees, the last one on Aug. 28.

Cabrera went 0-for-4 in the Yankees’ 4-2 victory in Game 4, but more important handled every chance at shortstop flawlessly. Boone said Cabrera would “probably” be back at the position for Game 5.

Aaron Hicks was in the lineup, starting in left and batting ninth, in a game the Yankees had to win to avoid elimination.

“I just feel like in this series [Kiner-Falefa] has been pressing a little bit out there, playing a little bit kind of not to make that mistake, and I think that's gotten in his way a little bit,” Boone said before Game 4. “I just felt like I needed to do this. I still expect him to play a huge role for us in what we hope is a couple more weeks of baseball, but I felt like it was something that was the right thing to do.”

Along with losing pitcher Clarke Schmidt, the most disconsolate Yankee in the clubhouse after Saturday night’s crushing 6-5 loss had to be Kiner-Falefa.

Kiner-Falefa, playing in his first postseason, continued a disturbing trend of not being able to make plays on defense, including one in the bottom of the ninth inning in Cleveland’s walk-off victory.

“Just disappointed,” Kiner-Falefa said after the Guardians scored three in the ninth to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. “I had multiple opportunities to help the team and wasn’t able to come through. Just frustrated with myself, and that’s tough.”

Kiner-Falefa made an error on the first ball hit to him in this series, on the second batter of Game 1 on Tuesday. Right out of the box, the Yankees had to be concerned that the moment could be too big for Kiner-Falefa, who was shaky at times in his first season in pinstripes.

Kiner-Falefa’s inability to make three plays contributed to the Yankees’ defeat on Saturday.

He botched the first ball hit to him in Game 3, too. Josh Naylor was credited with a first-inning RBI single on a low line drive to Kiner-Falefa’s right that he went after awkwardly and tried to backhand. The ball hit off Kiner-Falefa’s glove and went into leftfield.

In the sixth, with the Yankees holding a 4-2 lead, Kiner-Falefa backhanded a two-out grounder hit by Andres Gimenez but threw low to first and Gimenez beat the throw. It was scored a single. Gimenez ended up scoring two batters later on a single by pinch hitter Will Brennan to bring Cleveland  within a run.

Then, in the ninth, Kiner-Falefa seemed utterly confused when he picked up Myles Straw’s one-out bloop single to left that got past the diving Cabrera in left.   With the Guardians trailing 5-3, Straw had stopped rounding first. No one else was on base, but Kiner-Falefa inexplicably threw the ball to third. Straw changed direction and easily moved to second, which removed the possibility of the double play. Straw later scored.

Said Kiner-Falefa: “I feel like those were big runs that cost us the game, so just got to wear this one. Yeah, it’s frustrating.”

It’s not as if the Yankees didn’t have other options at short for the postseason.

Cabrera’s natural position is shortstop. Another rookie, Oswald Peraza, was left off the ALDS roster after hitting .306 in 49 late-season at-bats and showing a deft glove at short.

“I have a ton of confidence in Oswaldo Cabrera at shortstop and what he brings to the table as an infielder and how he's established himself in the back half of the season,” Boone said. “I have high hopes on Peraza, but also feel like Cabrera is starting to establish himself and at a more advanced level.”

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.