Los Angeles Dodgers return to the National League Championship Series after an extraordinary error by Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering ended his team's season.
With the score tied 1-1 and two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Dodgers' Andy Pages hit a routine hit to Kerkering. But the 24-year-old fumbled the ball and, instead of going to first for an easy out, he threw it past catcher JT Realmuto in home plate as Hyesung Kim scored the winning run.
“[The ball] just hit me in the leg,” Kerkering said. “Once the pressure got to me, I just thought there was a little quicker throw for JT, a little quicker throw than trying to throw it over the body to Bryce.” [Harper at first]”
The 2-1 win sealed a 3-1 series win for the Dodgers, who will face either the Milwaukee Brewers or Chicago Cubs for a spot in the World Series.
Kerkering became distraught after his mistake and was consoled by manager Rob Thomson.
“He just got a little caught up in the moment,” Thomson said. “I feel for him because he puts it all on his shoulders.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also sympathized with the player who had just helped his team advance.
“It's brutal,” Roberts said of Kerkering's mistake. “It's one of those things that it's PFP, pitcher's field practice. He's done it a thousand times. And immediately he was so focused, I'm sure, on just catching the hitter, and he just kind of forgot about the outs and the situation.”
The Phillies gave the defending champions a second run in the seventh when Joan Durant walked Mookie Betts with the bases loaded, allowing Justin Dean to score. The Phillies took the lead in the top of the inning when Max Kepler scored on Nick Castellanos' double.
It was another disappointing end to the season for the Phillies, who finished second in the National League after winning the NL East. Despite an excellent rotation and a strong lineup, they lost in the NLDS two years in a row; last year they were eliminated by the NL East rivals, the New York Mets. They also lost in the 2023 NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks despite holding a 3-2 series lead at one point.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are in the NLCS for the eighth time in 13 seasons.
