The Los Angeles Dodgers are headed to the NLCS by virtue of scoring a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS. This marks the Dodgers' eighth NLCS appearance since 2013, and puts them one step closer to their dreams of repeating as World Series champion. But there are always two sides to a story, and opposite the Dodgers is a crestfallen Phillies squad that ended up bowing out of the postseason due to an unfortunate blunder from Orion Kerkering at the most inopportune moment.
A pitching duel unfolded between the Dodgers and the Phillies, as both teams could score all of one run each through the first 10 innings of the game. But in the 11th inning, the Dodgers were knocking on the door of the NLCS, loading up the bases against Kerkering with two outs. Kerkering then did well to induce a weak ground ball from Andy Pages straight back to him on the mound, which he bobbled initially but recovered to get in his glove.
But that's where everything went off the rails for Kerkering. Instead of throwing to first base to get Pages out, he instead chose to throw to JT Realmuto at home plate. The Phillies reliever thought he had less time on his hands than he did and rushed the throw, sailing it past Realmuto and sending the Dodgers to the NLCS in the process.
After the game, Dodgers fans exploded into a frenzy on social media after winning on such a crazy turn of events.
“DODGERS all day bae baaaae 💙⚾️,” X user @RonNeryJr wrote.
“Been waiting for the Dodgers revenge on the Phillies since 2008 and 2009 💙,” @ilove2bequiet added.
“My dodgers won and are headed to the NLCS and my PTO started today LFGGG!!! I LOVE LIFE!” @torrescjaz furthered.
Dodgers advance to NLCS, await winner of Brewers-Cubs NLDS matchup
The Chicago Cubs are currently leading the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NLDS; if that holds, there will be a fifth game in the series, and the Dodgers will have an extra day of rest before the start of the NLCS.
This is good news for a Dodgers team that relies so much on their elite starting pitchers to get the job done. Their bullpen has been a mess all year long, after all. But it looks like their bullpen is turning things around anyway when it matters the most, with Roki Sasaki throwing three shutout innings in relief.
