The consensus surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies as the postseason approached was simple: if this isn't the year, when is the year?
Well, this was not the year. The Phillies were eliminated with an extra-inning loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLDS on Thursday night, with a pair of home losses to start the series proving to be too great of a hole to overcome.
There might be plenty of blame to go around for the Phillies' postseason disappointment, but they might have lived to see at least one more game if not for a colossal mistake by reliever Orion Kerkering in the bottom of the 11th inning.
Here's what you need to know about the chaotic ending of Game 4 and more about Kerkering.
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Orion Kerkering error, explained
No one would say Kerkering inherited an ideal situation when he entered Game 4 of the NLDS in the 11th inning with two runners on base and two outs, but he didn't do what manager Rob Thomson wanted in replacing Jesus Luzardo.
After walking Kiké Hernandez, Kerkering induced a ground ball from a slumping Andy Pages and couldn't field it cleanly. The ball got to Kerkering quickly enough that he appeared to have plenty of time to get it to first base for the third out of the inning, but he instead threw it to home plate and air-mailed it over J.T. Realmuto's head.
THE @DODGERS WALK IT OFF AND ARE #NLCS BOUND! pic.twitter.com/7GKwsscWkZ
— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2025
Kerkering's throw went down as an error because it sailed over Realmuto's head, but even a perfect throw home likely would have been too late. Kerkering's best bet was a throw to first base to try to get Pages, knowing one more out would send the game to the 12th inning.
Of course, there would be no guarantee a throw down to first base would hit its target. If Kerkering could miss so badly on the throw home, an even longer throw in a panic could have ended up getting past Bryce Harper. By throwing home, though, Kerkering sealed the Phillies' fate as soon as he turned toward the plate, sending the Dodgers to the NLCS.
The Phillies comforted reliever Orion Kerkering in the dugout after his season-ending error pic.twitter.com/SermuXqwAx
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 10, 2025
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Who is Orion Kerkering?
A fifth-round pick out of South Florida in 2022, Kerkering rocketed to the majors by the end of the 2023 season.
Philadelphia called Kerkering up for his debut during the final days of the 2023 regular season, barely more than a year after he was drafted, and the organization trusted him enough to include him on their postseason roster.
Kerkering posted a 2.29 ERA and struck out 10.6 batters per nine innings in his first full season of work in 2024 before putting up a rockier 2025 season with a 3.30 ERA and elevated 3.82 FIP.
Kerkering allowed two runs in the Phillies' NLDS Game 2 loss to the Dodgers, but it's the moment from the end of Game 4 that will follow him around for the foreseeable future.