Philadelphia endures worst sports day since 1983 with Phillies, Eagles, Flyers all losing

Philadelphia fans felt it entering Thursday. The Phillies, fresh off a big win, had a chance to bring the NLDS back to the City of Brotherly Love for a deciding Game 5. The Eagles had a chance to shake off the bad taste of a loss to the Broncos in a short week, and they were facing the Giants, a 1-4 team they dominated for the better part of a decade. The Flyers had a chance to start their new season off on the right foot against the defending champion Panthers, who were missing two key players.

No. No. And no. The Phillies, Eagles and Flyers all lost on the same day for only the second time, according to Bob Vetrone Jr. The other time was October 16, 1983, almost 42 years ago. It was only the eighth time all three franchises played on the same day.

The Phillies Defeat 2-1 against the Dodgers in 11 innings was by far the most devastating, not only because of the circumstances (the team’s season is over) but also because of the manner in which it ended. Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering misplayed an Andy Pages comebacker, picked up the ball and, instead of throwing it to first to end the inning, threw the ball trying to force Hyeseong Kim to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs.

Look away, Phillies fans.

You can even see catcher JT Realmuto pointing toward first base.

“I won’t say the pressure hit me, I just thought it was a quicker pitch to [Realmuto] than trying to carry it over the shoulder [first baseman Bryce Harper]. Just a crappy throw,” Kerkering said.

“It really sucks right now,” Kerkering said later, “but I hope to keep pushing, get over this hump.”

Phillies’ Orion Kerkering reacts to season-ending mistake against Dodgers: ‘Really, it sucks right now’

RJ Anderson

This leads to a the offseason is full of big questions.

Things aren’t that dire for the Eagles, but they’re not looking good either, coming off a 34-17 loss, their second in five days after a 4-0 start. Philadelphia was scoreless in the second half as the offense fell behind for a second straight game. But the defense, which was without Jalen Carter (heel) and lost Quinyon Mitchell (hamstring) during the game was just as bad. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and rookie running back Cam Skattebo shredded the unit four days after New York recorded five turnovers in a loss to the Saints.

The Eagles’ dominance in the trenches is gone, the offense looks disjointed and the defense is undermanned.

The Flyers lost 2-1, ruining Rick Tocchet’s coaching debut. Anton Lundell opened the scoring for Florida before Noah Cates answered to tie the game late in the second period. It ultimately proved futile, as Brad Marchand scored a game-winning goal in the third period.

It will be a long and difficult offseason for the Phillies. The Eagles and Flyers hope these losses don’t portend long, difficult seasons either.