Tommy Pham defends ex-Pirates teammate after World Series base running controversy

In Game 7 of the World Series, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was inches from scoring a run that would've given the Toronto Blue Jays their first World Series title in 32 years.

Instead, the former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder was thrown out at the plate to end the ninth inning and send the game to extras, where the Los Angeles Dodgers would ultimately emerge victorious to win their second World Series title in as many years.

Kiner-Falefa, pinch-running for Bo Bichette, was widely criticized because of the short lead he took at third base before attempting to score. He explained his controversial base running decision after the game.

"They told us to stay close to the base," Kiner-Falefa said (via Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith). "They don't want us to get doubled off in that situation with a hard line drive... I can't get doubled off right there so it's almost like bases loaded. They wanted a smaller lead and a smaller secondary, so that's what I did."

Still, Kiner-Falefa had plenty of Toronto fans blaming him for costing their team a championship, with some even reportedly threatening to break his legs (per Nicholson-Smith). Seeing this, his former Pirates teammate Tommy Pham – who played with him in Pittsburgh during the 2025 season until Kiner-Falefa was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays in August – felt compelled to defend him on social media.

"A lot of ppl are criticizing my boy IKF lead, here’s my two cents," Pham posted on X. "You get as far off as the third baseman gives you, if he is overly aggressive there and gets backed pick [then] what would be your reaction [then]? Situation if the game it’s on the hitter."

Pham’s defense of Kiner-Falefa, while riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, is rooted in a base running reality that casual fans often overlook – especially in high-leverage situations like Game 7 of the World Series.

Tommy Pham defends former Pirates teammate Isiah Kiner-Falefa's base running decisions (and he's right)

Pham’s main point is that a runner on third in that situation can only take as large a lead as the defense allows. The third baseman’s positioning dictates how far off the bag the runner can safely venture. If the third baseman plays aggressively (hugging the line or faking toward the base), taking an extra step or two of lead becomes dangerous – one quick throw, and the inning ends on a back-pick.

Pham is also emphasizing that, in that spot, the pressure is really on the hitter, not the base runner. The runner’s job is to be ready to score on contact, but not to get picked off. The batter’s job is to put the ball in play deep enough to allow that run to score. In his view, Kiner-Falefa did his job: he stayed in position to score if the ball got through, and didn’t overextend himself into an avoidable out.

Pham's defense is sound from a baseball logic standpoint. Runners don’t have unlimited freedom at third base; they read the corner infielder’s distance and reaction. Getting thrown out at third in a tie or one-run World Series game would be catastrophic, and a conservative lead minimizes that risk (especially in the direct wake of teammate Addison Barger's Game 6-ending gaffe). In this specific situation, the hitter (and potentially, the third base coach) bears as much responsibility for the outcome as the runner, if not more.

Where critics do have a point is that elite base runners sometimes push the boundary a bit more – reading the third baseman’s body language and secondary movements to gain those “inches” that decide championships. But it’s a razor-thin margin, and Pham’s argument correctly highlights that Kiner-Falefa was playing by the textbook in a moment where a single misstep could have ended the game instantly.

Kiner-Falefa’s lead was likely dictated by the defense, not hesitation. The criticism of him, therefore, stems more from hindsight than from any real base running mistake.