Isiah Kiner-Falefa is going to be wearing the Boston Red Sox jersey this year. And what does he do on his introductory press conference? He takes a jab at his former franchise, the New York Yankees.

Followed by his World Series heartbreak with the Toronto Blue Jays, IKF hit free agency last year. The utility man then agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with the Red Sox.

Kiner-Falefa faced plenty of backlash after he missed scoring the winning runs for the Blue Jays in World Series Game 7. During his media day, Falefa recalled his days with the Blue Jays. The former Blue Jays star explained that they rooted for the Yankees to prevail over the Red Sox in the ALCS. To them, the Yankees were an easier team to win against. Manager Aaron Boone, though, handled the jab calmly.

The Blue Jays’ point of view might not be entirely unfounded, as they did indeed put a stop to the Yankees’ postseason progress in October. Though the Blue Jays then went on to lose the World Series ring to the LA Dodgers. IKF had spent two seasons (2022, 2023) with the Yankees. He started as a shortstop, and, in the true utility-man fashion, IKF moved to center field to give Anthony Volpe his position at shortstop.

After IKF became a free agent in 2024, he was with multiple teams. He started with the Blue Jays, got traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and again returned to Toronto in a short span.

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Now in Boston, IKF grabbed the opportunity to downplay his former team. Kiner-Falefa’s remarks reached Aaron Boone as well. During his first press conference as Spring Training begins, Boone was asked about Kiner-Falefa’s latest swipe on the Yankees.

Boone looked mostly unbothered about what IKF had to say, except for a mild surprise.

“A little surprising to hear IKF say that. But that’s fine. You gotta play who you play”, said Boone.

Considering the history between the Red Sox and the Yankees, it’s not the first time a player has thoughts to share against the Yankees. Hence, Boone’s nonchalance is hardly surprising.

IKF is only following others’ footsteps

The Red Sox and the Yankees are quite used to taking sharp swipes at one another. It certainly did not start with IKF’s comments; it was Sonny Gray. Gray had once said that he would prefer not to be a Yankee.

Aroldis Chapman, an ex-Yankee and now a Red Sox, was asked how he would feel being traded to the New York Yankees. Chapman was certain that he would rather retire than go back to the Yankees.

Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras also took part in the bash Yankees trend that seems to be going around. During a media appearance, out of all the other teams, Contreras picked out the Yankees and made a show of his dislike for the team. He emphasized how much he would like to beat them.

With how Red Sox players are going in for a war of words, it appears the Red Sox and the Yankees rivalry is burning hotter than ever.