Isiah Kenner-Valeva Rally with the first leg against the Padres

NEW YORK — Isiah Kiner-Falefa said he “felt like a little kid running around in there” after he whipped a sharp 10-inning leadoff single on Saturday afternoon, celebrating his first hit in the pinstripes. That exhilarating spark was exactly what the Yankees needed.

Continuing to shine in his new Super Bowl role, Kiner-Falefa’s decisive hit sealed the Bombers’ fifth win of the season, following a frustrating three-game skid with a 3-2 win over the Padres at Yankee Stadium.

“It’s nice to play something and get rewarded,” said Kiner-Falefa. “I feel like I was hitting the ball really hard on the guys, so it was nice to sneak one by one. It was high. It was a dream come true, and it was fun.”

Kiner-Falefa’s hit came from right-handed Nick Martinez, hitting a diving attempt by third baseman Rougned Odor and driving machine runner Greg Allen—running for Anthony Rizzo—from third base. Kiner-Falefa had two smash hits as a member of the Rangers in 2019.

“He’s playing great for us now,” said manager Aaron Bunn. “He was driving the ball really well. I love him there in that spot. There’s a good chance he’ll play it there. He’s worked his tail up the field to become a really good player, wherever you put him.”

“What a player,” said player DJ LeMahieu, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a homer for the win. “He’s played several positions now; he hasn’t complained once. He wants to be there. It was a great hit today. It was one of those hits where you knew he was going to take a hit.”

The rally came after Luis Severino produced an encouraging effort in his second start since returning to the spin off a right cross breed, showing off a four-seam fastball that cruised between 95.9 and 100 mph. He allowed one hit over 6 2/3 effective innings.

“I think I have a good plan of attack,” said Severino. “First pitch hits were really important today. We were ahead by the count almost every time. I feel good. I feel healthy. It’s a matter of getting more pitches.”

Severino San Diego caught Fernando Tatis Jr. soloing with a homer through the first six frames, then pressured Boone to mix up another one during a visit to the mound in the seventh. Severino bunted a coveted ground ball off Trent Grisham, but second baseman Gleiber Torres mishandled it on an error.

Then reliever Ha-Seong Kim greeted Michael King with a single scoring to left, briefly putting the Padres ahead. Despite Kim’s hit, Severino’s 82-pitch effort offered a tantalizing taste of what a healthy version of the 29-year-old could add to the rotation.

“He’s a key player in the front line to go with our other buddies, and then hopefully we can get two more players into the mix as the season gets going,” said Bunn. “You can see a place where we have the opportunity to field a really complete and talented group that is difficult to score against.”

Severino agreed: “I think it will help. Obviously we have Gerrit Cole, who is a beast. [Nestor] Curtis had some tough matches, but he was really good. Clark [Schmidt] is really good. [Domingo] Germain returns. If everyone is healthy, we’re in good shape.”

LeMahieu, who said after a quiet offensive performance in Friday’s series opener he felt “close” to getting back in form, responded in the home half of the frame with a homer on the right field bench.

The blast, off San Diego star Michael Wacha, was Limaheu’s sixth home run of the year.

LeMahieu also played an important role in putting New York on the board in the first half. Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo hit Wacha’s leadoff single, followed by a powerful double down the line by LeMahieu that scored Judge. Rizzo is tagged on the plate as a track runner.

“I had better swings today,” said LeMahieu. “I’ve faced Wacha a lot in my career, so I know what to expect. He’s done well overall, but I managed to put some swings on some balls. It’s definitely encouraging. It’s one game, but [I’ll] Let her continue.”