The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the NLCS with a 2-1 walk-off win after Philadelphia Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering threw the ball away trying to make a play at the plate in Thursday’s Game 4 of the NLDS.
Kerkering got Andy Pages to hit a comebacker to the pitcher with the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th inning. However, the right-hander decided to throw home instead of throwing to first base, which looked like an easy final out to end the frame.
“Keep going with it. Hopefully it’s (the) start of a long career,” the 24-year-old Kerkering said postgame after he was asked how he could learn from the mistake moving forward, according to Anthony SanFilippo of On Pattison. “Just keep in the back of my head, this really f—–g sucks right now.”
Kerkering’s miscue marked only the second time in MLB history that a postseason series ended on a walk-off error. Former Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor was responsible for the first after his mishap on a potential double-play grounder allowed Josh Donaldson to score the winning run for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the 2016 ALDS.
“He (Orion Kerkering) got caught up in the moment a little bit,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, according to MLB Network. “Coming down the stretch, he pitched so well for us. I feel for him because he’s putting it all on his shoulders. But we win as a team, and we lose as a team.”
The Dodgers walked off a playoff clincher for the third time in team history (1978 NLCS Game 4, 2021 NLWC). Los Angeles has participated in the NLCS eight times over the past 13 years.
“I was running for my life,” pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim said after scoring the game-winning run, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
The stunning error ended a pitching duel that saw Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow and three relievers allow just one run on four hits with four walks and 12 strikeouts. Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez and four relievers, including potential Game 5 starter Jesús Luzardo and Kerkering, surrendered two runs on seven hits with three walks and 12 strikeouts.
Los Angeles will face the Milwaukee Brewers or the Chicago Cubs for an opportunity to return to the World Series after winning the 2024 Fall Classic.
Meanwhile, the Phillies crashed out of the NLDS for a second straight year.
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