Orion Kerkering stepped foot on the mound in the ninth inning at loanDepot park in a 5-2 game against the Miami Marlins, looking to put an end to his saveless career in six opportunities. It only took the right-hander 12 pitches to earn his first career save Monday evening, closing out the Philadelphia Phillies' fifth straight win and Mick Abel’s second career victory.
While Kerkering has technically blown saves throughout his MLB career, including this season, this was the first save situation he has been able to attempt this season. He has entered games for a chance at a hold, which statistically counts as a blown save, but not in a save opportunity, according to CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr.
Save No. 1 for Orion!#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/yyMbUgl12j
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 17, 2025
Orion Kerkering continues to dominate, turning himself into Phillies' best closer option
Kerkering has earned the trust of manager Rob Thomson, as the manager turned to Kerkering for the first time for the save. Fans saw this setup with a seventh inning appearance from Jordan Romano, followed by an eighth inning from Matt Strahm before reaching Kerkering.
The question now is if Kerkering could get more ninth-inning opportunities. According to The Athletic's Charlotte Varnes, Thomson said postgame he "could be" (subscription required).
As the Phillies will never actually name a full-time closer, it is easy for fans to realize the high-leverage spots the 24-year-old has found himself in lately. Kerkering struggled out of the gate this season after posting an ERA of 5.56 through April. However, he has more than answered the call since then, only allowing one earned run since May 1 and three runs total in 17 innings.
His advanced numbers have been just as good. His average exit velocity of 84.2 mph is in the top one percent, while his 29.6 percent hard-hit rate is in the 97th percentile. In 475 pitches thrown this season, Kerkering has allowed just five barrels. Those are all the best numbers of his career.
The Phillies have made it known that they have high expectations for Kerkering. It was rumored before that trades fell apart once opposing teams showed interest in Kerkering, along with this past offseason, the front office not signing an extra reliever because of what they knew Kerkering would turn into. Dombrowski has made it clear his value for Kerkering, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
It is no secret that the Phillies have been hesitant to name a full-time closer as the organization likes the closer-by-committee approach, but recent signs seem to indicate they at least have a favorite for those situations as of late in clean innings. With runners on base, Kerkering will most likely still be the pitcher turned to escape jams until another arm is added to the mix.
Monday evening, though, was an indication of where Thomson wants Kerkering available for the ninth inning. He most likely will not be used as a traditional closer, but he is for sure the most trusted arm out of the bullpen.