**Isiah Kiner-Falefa** was out by feet, not inches.
That’s the reality of the most talked-about play from this past postseason. The **Toronto Blue Jays** infielder’s slide into home plate in Game 7 – the one that would’ve given Toronto its first World Series title since 1993 – wasn’t nearly as close as it looked in real time.
To anyone watching, **Will Smith** barely got his foot down on home plate before Kiner-Falefa slid feet-first. But MLB’s recent statement tells a different story.
“After reviewing all relevant angles, the replay official definitively determined the catcher’s foot was touching the plate when the ball contacted the interior of his mitt.”
The **Los Angeles Dodgers** catcher had plenty of time. What looked like a bang-bang play was actually decided well before Kiner-Falefa reached the plate.
It’s the kind of revelation that changes everything about how Blue Jays fans will remember that moment. Instead of being robbed by inches, they were beaten by execution.
https://twitter.com/bdubsports_/status/1984828236715675702
**Kiner-Falefa**, now with the **Boston Red Sox**, isn’t making excuses. The eight-year veteran knows he could’ve handled the situation differently.
“Didn’t realize that it was actually going to be that close of a play,” he said during his introduction in Boston. “If I was a step further, yeah, I would have been safe. But I wasn’t.”
That’s where the details get interesting. Blue Jays third base coach **Carlos Febles** reportedly drew a line in the basepath to show Kiner-Falefa exactly where to take his lead. The positioning was calculated, not random.
Turns out the calculation was off. As **Ben Walker** of The Associated Press put it Wednesday: “Turns out he needed a few more feet, not inches.”
The timing of MLB’s clarification feels significant. For months, the play has been dissected as a coin-flip moment that went against Toronto. Now we know it wasn’t that close at all. Smith was in position, the Dodgers executed, and the Blue Jays’ championship hopes ended with a routine out at the plate.
What makes this even more compelling is how it reframes the entire sequence. Instead of a heartbreaking near-miss, it becomes a case study in baserunning fundamentals. The difference between a championship and going home wasn’t a matter of inches or perfect timing – it was about reading the play and getting the right jump.
For Blue Jays fans, that might be harder to accept than losing on a bang-bang play.
