Phillies improbable comeback ends in costly, heartbreaking mistake

It all came down to an error. Two outs, bases loaded, season on the line. One mishandled, lackadaisical throw from the Phillies’ young relief pitcher Orion Kerkering had cost everything.

The highly anticipated “Red October” was shot down in disbelief as Philadelphia nearly forced a Game 5. After dropping two straight at home, the Phillies responded with an 8-2 rout over the Dodgers on Wednesday night to stay alive.

Thursday’s Game 4, however, presented a much different story as Tyler Glasnow and Christopher Sanchez went pitch-for-pitch in a scoreless duel. That was until the seventh inning when the bullpens were initiated.

Nick Castellanos broke the deadlock, driving in the Phillies’ only run with an RBI double off of Emmet Sheehan. The Dodgers responded after Jhoan Duran walked Mookie Betts, tying the game at one.

The treacherous 11th inning brought chaos that ultimately defined the game. Jesus Luzardo gave up two hits to Tommy Edman and Max Muncy. With two outs, Phillies manager Rob Thompson elected to bring Orion Kerkering into the game. Kerkering walked Enrique Hernandez to load the bases, and then misery.

Andy Pages hit a soft grounder up the middle that Kerkering struggled to field. The throw sailed over the head of J.T. Realmuto. Hyeseong Kim crossed the plate, and the Phillies’ fate was sealed.

Under pressure, Kerkering had instinctively tried to throw home to Realmuto instead of getting the sure out at first. Still, the loss was about more than that one play.

In the end, the Phillies' 2025 season will be remembered for that error, but something needs to be said about the star power. Philadelphia was a top-heavy team with big barrels, including Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper. In the brightest of moments, these three combined to hit 1-for-14.

The Phillies’ tight pitching rotation had given the offense leeway to pour on the runs. Philadelphia had given up just 13 runs in four games, good for a 3.25 ERA. In spite of that, superstar Shohei Ohtani was held in check, hitting just 1-for-18 through four games.

To make matters worse, Andy Pages was just 1-for-23 prior to his softly hit grounder that gave Kerkering trouble.

When it’s all said and done, many will look back on this team and question where it all went wrong. On paper, no one in the majors could match the caliber of talent the Phillies had presented.

After reaching the World Series in 2022, the future looked extremely bright. Then came a disappointing Game 7 finish to a young Arizona Diamondbacks team in the 2023 NLCS. Following this, the team suffered a 3-1 NLDS loss to division rival New York Mets.

Tragedy in 2025.

In many ways, this loss felt like the end of an era. With Bryce Harper and Trea Turner continuing to age, and Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto set to test free agency, the road ahead appears murky.

It is hard to imagine a team as good as Philadelphia had its window and failed to capitalize. Even worse, continuous squandered opportunities in the postseason will be the perpetrator of the collapse.

The Dodgers beat the Phillies and likely faced the best team along the World Series track. Now, they will seek to win back-to-back trophies for the first time since 2000, when the New York Yankees did it.

It’s a troubling loss for the Philadelphia Phillies that epitomizes the phrase: “So close, yet so far.”

Sam Simonic is a first-year student majoring in print/digital journalism. To contact him, please email sps7381@psu.edu.