Orion Kerkering: Dodgers Advance to NLCS, Beat Phillies 2-1 on Kerkering's 11th-Inning Error

"LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated a 2-1, 11-inning victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, advancing to the NLCS for the seventh time in 10 years. But the real story is the crushing error made by Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering in the bottom of the 11th inning, which allowed the winning run to score and eliminated the Phillies from the playoffs.
As Kerkering watched the Dodgers pour out of their dugout to celebrate, he stood motionless with his head dropped and his hands on his knees. Phillies teammate Nick Castellanos rushed to comfort him, saying, 'That's second nature. That's instinct. I understand what he's feeling. Not the exact emotions, but I can see them.'
Manager Rob Thomson shared a brief message with Kerkering before patting him on the chest, telling him to keep his head up. Kerkering's error came after he walked Kiké Hernández to load the bases with two outs, and Andy Pages' weak grounder back to him sailed over catcher J.T. Realmuto's head, allowing Hyeseong Kim to score the winning run.
The Phillies had high hopes for this season, but it ended abruptly with Kerkering's agonizing blunder. 'I feel for him,' Thomson said. 'He just got caught up in the moment a little bit.' The Dodgers, on the other hand, will now face the winner of the NLDS series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres in the NLCS.
The pressure was building in the 11th inning, and Kerkering's panic set in. 'Once the pressure got to me, I just thought there's a faster throw to J.T., little quicker throw than trying to cross-body it to Bryce,' he said. But the throw sailed toward the backstop, and the Dodgers celebrated their victory.
The Dodgers' hopes of becoming Major League Baseball's first repeat champions in a quarter century are still very much in play. But for Kerkering and the Phillies, this offseason will be a long one, and the memory of his crushing error will linger.",
"tags": ["MLB", "NLDS", "Phillies", "Dodgers", "Orion Kerkering", "NLCS"]
}