The long historical evolution of Isiah Kiner-Falefa's time with the New-York Yankees

Nowadays, when we see Isiah Kiner-Falefa, it's hard to remember a time when this iconic Yankee immortal wasn't delivering big hits and leading his team to victory. 

You younger readers may not be old enough to recall the early days - a dark period, back in the beginning - when "The Hyphen" had yet to inscribe his punctuation mark on "New-York."

As hard as it is to imagine, there was actually a time when Gammonites and YES announcers expressed concern about the newly pinstriped shortstop, who sought to replace the a phenomenon known as "The Kraken." It seemed impossible, and some critics even wondered if "IKF" would make it in Gotham. 

Let's return to the early days of April 2022, back in the heyday of CNN+, back before the Depp-Heard trial of the century, and before Nestor Cortez became a household word in Yankee households. This angry, rage-filled era predated the Testicle Tanning craze and Florida's annexation of Disneyworld. The Yankees were two-thirds of their way into the first three-game homestand - and Kiner-Falefa was batting .000. 

I'm not making  this up. It's not a misprint. IKF was hitting zero - more than .200 points below his career average. Nor was he playing solid defense. And the critics noticed.

The Hyphen endured an exhausting two-game period when, try as he did, his average remained at .000. Then, one day, in the third game, against Boston, the clouds lifted. 

Instantly, IKF's batting average rose by .100 points - to .100! Though that number still left a long way to go, historians view fateful Game Three as a turning point for not only Kiner-Falefa, but the New-York Yankees.

For you kids out there, there's a moral here: Never - ever - give up! (At least until May 1. Then it's over. Looking at you, Gallo.)