“One of a Kiner” (Now Two of a Kiner): A Family Reunion 175 Years in the Making — and an Unforgettable Day at Citi Field

It was supposed to be just a press conference.

A nice little launch event at Citi Field to celebrate One of a Kiner, the newly released memoir by Scott Kiner — son of Hall of Fame slugger and Mets broadcast legend Ralph Kiner, and a man who has become a true friend to our little KinersKorner .com community.

But then baseball did what it always somehow manages to do — it brought people together in a way no other game can.

What began as a media gathering turned into something so much bigger: a family reunion nearly two centuries in the making, a celebration of Mets and Pirates history, and one of the most genuinely moving days I’ve ever experienced at the ballpark.

“I Always Told People He Was My Cousin…”

Pirates infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa grew up in Hawaii, hearing tales from his grandfather about a distant relative — some power-hitting legend named Ralph.

No one believed him.

Not his friends. Not his coaches. Not the people who raised an eyebrow when he mentioned that his cousin had led the National League in homers for seven straight seasons.

“I always told people he was my cousin,” IKF said Monday at Citi Field. “Nobody believed me.”

He tried to let fate do the talking. On his one childhood visit to Shea Stadium — July 14, 2007 — it just happened to be Ralph Kiner Night.

“I had no idea what I was walking into,” he laughed. “I thought I was just going to a ballgame.”

It would take 18 more years — and a little genealogy detective work — before anyone confirmed the connection. Turns out Ralph Kiner’s great-grandmother, Mary McPherran Kiner, was also Isiah’s great-great-great-grandmother.

That makes Scott Kiner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa second cousins once removed.

Not that it matters. When they embraced in the Shannon Forde Press Room on Monday, it felt like brothers who’d grown up on opposite sides of the world — and finally found their way back.

“There’s Pennsylvania Dutch in This Guy…”

Scott Kiner has been a huge supporter of ours since we launched KinersKorner.com. He’s joined us for an episode of “Down on the Korner” our live Q/A Zoom Room show, shared stories from the booth, and even let me bounce ideas around with him as he began writing One of a Kiner — a beautiful chronicle of his parents: Ralph, the iconic Met, and Nancy Chaffee, the tennis star turned broadcaster.

So when Scott not only invited me to join him at Citi Field for the press event, but also thanked me in his book, I was truly honored.

What unfolded was a whirlwind of emotion, memory, and Mets magic.

Scott presented IKF with a charcoal portrait of Ralph Kiner, drawn in 1948 by famed American artist Gil Cohen. He called it a belated wedding gift. (IKF was married in December. “I wasn’t invited,” Scott quipped.)

They traded jerseys. Shared laughs. Traced their family tree back 175 years.

“There’s Pennsylvania Dutch in this guy,” Scott joked, pointing to Isiah. “Not much — but enough.”

And then, in a move that just about knocked me over — Scott turned and handed me a copy of that same portrait.

Me.

My dad gave me baseball, and with it, my love of the Mets. Ralph Kiner made them feel like magic — as the voice on Channel 9 and the host of Kiner’s Korner. Together, they turned a kid from Long Island into a lifelong believer — one game, one broadcast at a time.

To receive that drawing of Ralph from his son — at Citi Field, on that day — was an unforgettable moment, one that made me feel closer to both Ralph and my late dad in a way I’ll always cherish.

“Don’t Be Such a Stranger…”

After the press conference, Scott and I headed upstairs to the broadcast booth that bears his father’s name. There, in a moment that could’ve been ripped from an old Kiner’s Korner episode, he presented cigars to Gary Cohen and Ron Darling — a perfect homage to Ralph’s old-school charm.

We caught up with Colin Cosell (grandson of Howard), we then headed to a luxury suite to watch the game with Charlie Hayes — Ke'Bryan Hayes’ dad — I was in the company of those with deep family connections to the entire left side of the Pirates infield. And then, because baseball never stops being magical, IKF stepped to the plate in the second inning and launched a home run in his first at-bat back from the injured list."

Cue the “Kiner’s Korner” jingle. Yes, seriously.

“After everything we did today, for me to hit a homer right there — that was surreal,” Kiner-Falefa said. “Something I’ll remember for the rest of my life, for sure.”

Later in the game, Scott joined Steve Gelbs for a live in-game segment on SNY.

The Mets walked it off with a 4-3 win, putting a perfect exclamation point on a day that had already delivered enough emotion to fill ten scorebooks.

Legacy, Love, and a Left Field Line

If you were lucky enough to be at Citi Field , you didn’t just witness a press conference.

You witnessed the meeting of two Kiner descendants — one who carried the family’s name into Cooperstown, another who’s still carrying it across the diamond.

You witnessed a son honoring his father with a book full of memories and meaning.

You witnessed baseball doing what it does best: connecting generations, bridging gaps, reminding us that behind every number, every stat, every broadcast jingle, there are stories.

Real ones.

It was one of those full-circle moments, as you witnessed a dream come true for a 65-year-old sportswriter who still thinks of Ralph Kiner the way most people think of their favorite teacher or their first glove.

What an unforgettable honor it was to play even a small part in this special day — one that beautifully bridged Mets history, family, and legacy.

In the introduction to One of a Kiner, Scott wrote that he hoped to meet Isiah and hand him the first copy.

He did.

And just beneath the dedication, he left a note:

“Don’t be such a stranger.”

After a day like that, I don’t think any of us ever will be.