The Philadelphia Phillies had to win Game 4 on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Instead, after playing 11 innings of win-or-go-home baseball, the Phillies handed the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-1 win and the National League Division Series on a stunningly unbelievable mistake by reliever Orion Kerkering.
After a night of impressive pitching performances, beginning with starters Cristopher Sánchez and Tyler Glasnow, the tension built as the bullpens took over. Unfortunately, for the second straight year, thanks to a bullpen meltdown, the Phillies are going home without getting past the NLDS.
Phillies' season ends in NLDS again, with lack of offense making the bullpen the scapegoat
After throwing a clean 10th inning out of the bullpen, Jesús Luzardo got the 11th but ran into trouble. With two outs, he put two Dodgers on base, prompting manager Rob Thomson to call on Kerkering. The young right-hander walked Enrique Hernández and then got Andy Pages to do exactly what the Phillies wanted.
Pages knocked a soft tapper right back to Kerkering, who fumbled the ball. As Phillies fans watched in horror, the play almost happening in slow motion, Kerkering panicked and made a massive mental error.
He decided to throw home instead of getting an easy out at first base. His attempt to the plate sailed well wide of catcher J.T. Realmuto as Hyeseong Kim flashed past, scoring the series-winning run. The heartbreaking play became the first series-clinching walk-off on an error in postseason history, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
THE @DODGERS WALK IT OFF AND ARE #NLCS BOUND! pic.twitter.com/7GKwsscWkZ
— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2025
The whole thing was entirely predictable after the Phillies' offense fell silent again in the biggest game of the season. After the breakout offensive Game 3, Game 4 felt like more of the same from the Phillies' bats. They mustered just one run on four hits, striking out 12 times.
Nick Castellanos doubled in Max Kepler in the top of the seventh to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. It felt like, based on the lack of offense in the game, that one run might have to hold up to keep the Phillies' season alive and send the series back to Citizens Bank Park for Game 5.
It didn't hold up.
After Sánchez allowed and a single and a walk in the bottom of the inning, closer Jhoan Duran was forced into action with one out. He got a ground out and then intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani to load the bases. Then, to everyone's shock, Duran walked Mookie Betts on six pitches to force in the game-tying run.
It's hard to find the words to describe the end of a season that showed so much promise. The team with the second-best record in the majors and full of veterans and stars basically tripped over themselves to end their campaign well short of the goal of a World Series.