Orion’s melt: Dodgers eliminate Phillies from MLB playoffs after Kerkering’s devastating error | MLB
The 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 scores tied at 1-1 and the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Dodgers’ Andy Pages hit a routine grounder to Kerkering. But the 24-year-old missed the ball and, instead of going to first for an easy out, he threw it away from catcher JT Realmuto at home plate as Hyeseong Kim scored the winning run. The 2-1 victory sealed a 3-1 series victory for the Dodgers, who will face either the Milwaukee Brewers or the Chicago Cubs for a spot in the World Series.
Kerkering collapsed in despair after his error and was comforted by manager Rob Thomson.
The Phillies had given the defending champions their other run in the seventh when Jhoan Durán walked Mookie Betts with the bases loaded allowing Justin Dean to score. The Phillies had taken the lead in the top of the inning when Max Kepler scored on Nick Castellanos’ double.
It was another frustrating end to the season for the Phillies, who were the second seed in the National League after winning the NL East. Despite an excellent rotation and strong batting lineup, they lost in the NLDS two years in a row; last year, they were eliminated by their NL East rivals, the New York Mets. They also lost in the 2023 NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks, even though they held a 3-2 series lead at one point.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are in the NLCS for the eighth time in 13 seasons.
