New York - Isiah Kiner-Falefa has heard everything about his cousin since he was a child, the Pirates' Hall of Fame.

Now, he finally got to know the relatives of Ralph Kiner's family.

At a touching party at Citi Field, the 30-year-old shortstop greeted former Pittsburgh outfielder's son Scott Kiner, before Kiner-Falefa and the Pirates joined the New York Mets.

The second cousin was removed from office, and the two exchanged hugs and gifts in the Shannon Ford press conference room. A sentiment Kiner-Falefa, who grew up in Hawaii, said it was the first time he had met anyone from the Ralph Kiner clan.

“This is something I’ve always dreamed about,” Kiner-Falefa said.

Scott Kiner promoted a book about his famous family, who traveled to New York City from his home in Ohio, and staff on both teams helped facilitate the introduction.

"A little bit of a bond is a must-have," Scott Kiner said.

After his career in 1955, Ralph Kiner spent 51 years on television and radio. He held a popular post-match show called "Kiner's Korner" and Kiner-Falefa participated in Ralph Kiner Night during a 2007 trip to New York, where he attended Ralph Kiner Night at Shea Stadium.

Two years later, the Mets moved into Citi Field where the marker announcer in memory of Ralph Kiner hung with the team’s retirement numbers on the top of the stadium.

So it fits well when recovering from the injured list after recovering from the right hamstring strain, accompanied by a jingle of "Kiner's Korner" as he stepped on the plate in the second round.

Kiner-Falefa said this is something he often hears on opposition courts. However, this time, he started home runs in his first cricket game since his appearance in Illinois.

"I'm going to play a home run there after everything we've done today, and it's a huge moment for me. That's surreal," Kiner-Falefa said. "It's really special for me. I'll definitely remember my whole life."

It's a 382-foot drive since last season on August 17.

"I don't think I'm going to play a tough ball all year round," Kiner-Falefa said. "So I'm like, man, I don't even know where that comes from."

As for the theme of the Mets playing him as the "Kiner's Korner" theme?

He smiled and said, "I know they will never do this again."

Kiner-Falefa later made an expensive mistake in shortstop with a 4-3 loss, but that didn't ruin his special day.

Before the game began, he introduced Scott Kiner to a autographed Pirates jersey, who wrote about his parents, Ralph Kiner and tennis star Nancy Chaffee.

Scott Kiner then gave Kiner-Falefa a charcoal painting with Ralph Kiner jersey and six All-Star games. He also showed Kiner-Falefa a portrait of Mary McPherran Kiner, born in Pennsylvania in 1850.

"So this guy has Pennsylvania Dutch," Scott Kiner laughed. "Not many. But he's Pennsylvania Dutch."

Kiner-Falefa's grandfather went to the University of Hawaii and stayed there with two daughters. Isiah Kiner-Falefa's mother and father were never married, so their sons both played two last names.

"It's actually a blessing because if they get married, I only have Falefa," Kiner-Falefa said. "So, I'm still able to own Kiner and pass it on."

Kiner-Falefa's grandfather added his story to him with the story of Ralph Kiner.

Kiner-Falefa is proud of the family’s connection and learned about Ralph Kiner’s baseball achievements before breaking into the big league with the Texas Rangers in 2018.

However, Honolulu natives are hardly like former Slager, who died in February 2014. So it's hard for Kiner-Falefa to convince others when he tells them about it.

"Everyone thought I was lying," he said. "I'll tell everyone that no one believes me."

Perhaps that's why Kiner-Falefa was so obvious when he first stood with his cousin Scott.

"For me, not meeting anyone around my grandfather, it feels like it's a little missing," Kiner-Falefa said. "Finally meeting Scott is like, the whole circle. I'm a little excited right now. It's incredible. An incredible moment that I never thought would happen."

Now he plays for the Pirates, Kiner-Falefa said he often goes to the Ralph Kiner statue in PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

"I always look at the statue (and) hands - trying to gain power because that's something I've been missing in the game," Kiner-Falefa said. "I think my cousin took all the power from me."