Orion Kerkering is going to have a long offseason.
The 24-year-old Phillies reliever made an all-time boneheaded play during the 11th inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Thursday night, and cost his team the game.
Replacing Jesus Luzardo after the Dodgers put runners on first and third, Kerkering entered the game with two outs in the inning and the score tied 1-1. He walked Kike Hernandez to load the bases, then faced the No. 9 hitter in L.A.'s lineup, Andy Pages.
After Pages authored a half-hearted swing out of the first pitch for a strike, Kerkering got exactly what he wanted on the second—a weak ground ball back to him. Then all hell broke loose.
Kerkering bobbled the ball a bit, then, for some reason, he decided to throw the ball home, while catcher J.T. Realmuto was standing right in front of him, pointing to first base. He chucked it past Realmuto all the way to the backstop as Hyeseong Kim crossed the plate.
THE @DODGERS WALK IT OFF AND ARE #NLCS BOUND! pic.twitter.com/7GKwsscWkZ
— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2025
Had Kerkering simply thrown the ball to first base, he would have had Pages out by a mile, and the inning would have been over. Instead, the Dodgers scored, winning the game 2-1 and ending the series.
The shot below shows how easy the play to first would have been.
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) October 10, 2025
And the photo below shows Kerkering's reaction to the play.
Heartbreak for Orion Kerkering pic.twitter.com/1JkhlCvXxS
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) October 10, 2025
Let's just be real here: Kerkering completely panicked in a spot where he couldn't afford to. It's genuinely sad. He's a 24-year-old who was put in a high-leverage spot and didn't come through.
He'll have to think about that all offseason, which is horrible to think about.
The Dodgers have advanced to the NLCS for the second season in a row and the fourth time in six seasons.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dodgers Eliminate Phillies on Reliever Orion Kerkering's Brutal Season-Ending Error.
