New York Yankees fans ecstatic as Isiah Kiner-Falefa becomes the hero in extras: "Love it. Dude wants to be a Yankee" "Utility IKF hits different"

On Friday, the New York Yankees dropped the series' first game against the San Diego Padres. This made Saturday's game much more important, as a loss would lose them the series.

It was an entertaining game as both teams got great starts from their starting pitchers. The game would go into extra innings, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa driving in the game-winning run in the 10th inning.

Kiner-Falefa hit a single that just snuck past Rougned Odor's glove at third, scoring Greg Allen. The series is now split at one game apiece, with the series' finale on Sunday.

Yu Darvish is expected to get the start for San Diego, while New York will hand the ball to Gerrit Cole. It will be an ace's showdown to see who takes the series. Sunday's matchup may be one you won't want to miss.

New York Yankees fans are starting to warm up to Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He's looked sharp in his new role as the team's utility man. He's had no problem performing when his name has been called to various positions this season. IKF has played games at third base, all outfield positions, and even an appearance on the mound.

The win improves New York's record to 31-23, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. The Yankees are catching up slowly but surely, but they'll need Tampa Bay to stumble.

New York Yankees need to take advantage of their next two series

The New York Yankees have two series coming up against struggling teams after Sunday's finale against the San Diego Padres. They play the Seattle Mariners to close the month and the Chicago White Sox right after to start June.

The Mariners are above .500, but they've had spots of inconsistency this season. They're fourth in the American League West and haven't been able to get the ball rolling yet.

The White Sox started the season terribly. They're fourth in the American League Central with a 22-32 record. While they've started to turn things around, they're nowhere near the team the Yankees are.

Two successful series could turn things around for the Yankees. They're just 3.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles, who sit in second place in the AL East.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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