Dodgers oust Phillies from the playoffs in 11 innings after Orion Kerkering’s errant throw home

LOS ANGELES — The Phillies had been seven outs away from dragging the battle back to Citizens Bank Park.

After their razor-thin 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers evaporated in the seventh following Jhoan Duran’s first career bases-loaded walk, the pitching staffs on both sides were locked in a fervent duel on Thursday. It was the Phillies who ultimately blinked first.

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They took the battle that seemed completely over on Monday to the other side of the country, to last four more days. They took it into the 11th inning of Game 4, when Orion Kerkering lost the grip on a soft, bases-loaded grounder back to the mound and sent it over catcher J.T. Realmuto’s head at home instead of making the routine play at first.

The dribbler, off Andy Pages’ bat, bounced off Kerkering’s foot. And in the highest-pressure situation the 24-year-old has faced in his young baseball career, he could not hear his teammates yelling at him to throw to first base instead. He could not see Realmuto pointing.

“When this happens,” manager Rob Thomson said, “it’s like your entire world comes to a stop. It’s just a thud.”

Pinch runner Hyeseong Kim came home, as Kerkering put his hands on his knees and stared at the ground in disbelief. The Phillies’ season ended with a 2-1 walk-off loss to the Dodgers, who advance to the National League Championship Series.

“Even though we were down two games, I just felt like we had a group that we’ve shown that we’ve been able to overcome a lot of different things,” said Kyle Schwarber. “I felt really deep down in my heart that this was a team that was going to do it.”

In the aftermath, with celebrating Dodgers streaming around them, Nick Castellanos ran from right field to put his arm around his devastated teammate.

“I wanted to be next to him while he walked off the field,” Castellanos said. “Just so he knows he’s not alone in that moment.”

Kerkering has heard similar consoling refrains from his teammates and coaches: Keep your head up. It’s not your fault. We had opportunities to score, and didn’t.

It may not mean much to him in the moment, but it is factual. Each time the Phillies failed to score — they finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position — the pressure ratcheted up on their pitchers.

Thomson emptied the chamber. He brought in Duran in the seventh to take over for Cristopher Sánchez, and asked him to get five outs for the first time since the closer arrived in Philadelphia. After a scoreless ninth from Matt Strahm forced extras, Thomson brought in presumptive Game 5 starter Jesús Luzardo to face the top of the Dodgers order.

But again, and again, and again, the offense came up empty.

Sánchez and Tyler Glasnow both shut down the opposing bats for the first six innings of the game. Glasnow’s fastball dialed up significantly in velocity, touching 99.1 mph after averaging 95.7 mph during the regular season.

The Phillies’ only run came on an RBI double from Castellanos against Emmet Sheehan in the seventh, but they missed an opportunity to add even more. With Castellanos standing on second base, Bryson Stott flew out and Trea Turner chased a slider to strike out.

The Phillies’ top third of the order — Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper — went 1-for-14.

“We all feel that,” Turner said. “I know Kyle does. I know Bryce does. We want to be that guy. We want to be the person up there in those situations and we didn’t get it done. But that’s on me. On us.”

Sánchez, for the second time this series, delivered on his end. He came back out for the seventh and retired Will Smith on a groundout. He took Dodgers outfielder Alex Call to a 2-2 count, and then fired a sinker on the inside edge of the plate.

Home plate umpire Mark Wegner called it a ball, and what should have been a strikeout ultimately became a walk. And when Kiké Hernández punched a single to left field in the next at-bat, that’s where Sánchez’s leash ended.

With pinch-running Justin Dean on second base representing the tying run, Thomson turned to his closer. Duran got Pages to ground out, and the Phillies intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani to load the bases. Despite being 1-for-17 in the series at the time, the reigning National League MVP had the advantageous matchup against the right-handed Duran. Ohtani is 2-for-5 lifetime against the Phillies closer, with both of those hits being homers.

Mookie Betts took Duran to a full count, and the payoff pitch was high. And the runner that was only on base due to Wegner’s missed call tied the game, 1-1.

“He knows he missed it,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “He knows he missed it because he told me, and he apologized to me. But a lot of pressure, important game, important situation, you can’t miss those things. You can’t miss those calls.”

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Duran limited the damage by getting Teoscar Hernández to wave at a knuckle curve outside, and after returning for the eighth, he retired the side in order to preserve the tie. Strahm came in for the ninth and sat down three straight to force extras.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts asked for nine outs from his newly-minted closer, Roki Sasaki, who had been a starter during the regular season before an injury. He delivered. The 23-year-old right-hander mowed through the Phillies lineup in the eighth, ninth, and 10th, retiring all nine batters he faced.

“I think both sides, everybody knew it was going to be a back-and-forth of who could score first or who could stay up on top,” Harper said. “And obviously, looking at this series, a lot of really good pitching, and I think pitching wins championships. And it’s something that both sides have.”

Alex Vesia pitched the 11th, and Harper wound up on second after a walk and a wild pitch. Harrison Bader, who has not started since leaving Game 1 with a hamstring injury, entered as a pinch-hitter. He battled for 10 pitches, but struck out on a slider down and away to end the inning. In total, the Phillies only managed four total hits over 11 innings.

“It really comes down to the pitching,” Thomson said. “They pitched great. We pitched great. It was a well-fought series. They came out on top, unfortunately, and that’s the way it is. I feel awful.”

Luzardo, pitching on three days’ rest, tossed a clean 10th but got the hook after allowing two singles in the 11th. Kerkering came in to face the bottom of the order, tasked with getting one out to give his offense yet another chance.

He walked Kiké Hernández, loading the bases for Pages. The final out was on Kerkering’s fingertips, until it wasn’t.

And the same clubhouse that had been drenched in champagne a month ago as the Phillies celebrated another divisional title was quiet as they contemplated another sudden end.