The Los Angeles Dodgers move on to the National League Championship Series after a stunning 2–1, 11-inning win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday in Game 4 of the NLDS, a finish seen only once before in MLB playoffs.
The Dodgers became just the second team ever to win a series on a walk-off error. The first occurrence was exactly nine years ago, when Rougned Odor’s misfired throw to first on an attempted double play allowed Josh Donaldson to cross the plate, giving the Toronto Blue Jays a sweep over the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, according to OptaSTATS.
The swing of fate came with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th. Andy Pages, down on his luck in a 1-for-23 postseason slump, hit a slow comebacker to Philadelphia reliever Orion Kerkering. The rookie pitcher fumbled the ball, then hurried a throw home that sailed past catcher J.T. Realmuto, allowing pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim to score from third. The miscue ended the game and the series, as Los Angeles clinched the NL Division Series 3–1 before a crowd of 50,563 at Dodger Stadium.
Entered in relief of Jesus Luzardo, Kerkering appeared visibly distraught as the Dodgers players stormed the field in celebration. Phillies manager Rob Thomson consoled the young pitcher in the dugout after one of the most heartbreaking finishes in postseason memory.
Until that moment, the game had been all about pitching. Los Angeles starter Tyler Glasnow, making his first postseason start for the Dodgers, struck out eight over six scoreless innings on 83 pitches, allowing only two hits and three walks. His outing matched the longest postseason start of his career, a performance that undoubtedly justified the Los Angeles decision to acquire and extend him for five years and $136.5 million.
Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez matched Glasnow nearly pitch for pitch, throwing 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. The Phillies finally broke through in the top of the seventh when Nick Castellanos doubled off reliever Emmet Sheehan to drive in the game’s first run. But in the bottom half, a bases-loaded walk to Mookie Betts from Jhoan Duran tied the game at 1–1.
From there, the bullpens took over. Dodgers rookie Roki Sasaki retired all nine batters he faced across three perfect innings, striking out two and lowering his postseason ERA to 0.00 through 5 1/3 innings.
Alex Vesia added a scoreless 11th, striking out Harrison Bader to preserve the tie.
For Philadelphia, Duran worked 1⅔ innings, Matt Strahm added another, and Luzardo, originally lined up to start a potential Game 5, covered 2⅔ innings before the fateful 11th. He was charged with the unearned run on Kerkering’s throwing error.
The 11-inning thriller was Los Angeles' 11th walk-off victory in franchise postseason history and their first since Freddie Freeman’s grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series. It was also their longest clinching win ever, surpassing their 10-inning triumph over the Phillies in the 1978 NLCS.
The Dodgers are heading to the NLCS for the second straight year and the eighth time in the past 13 seasons. The defending World Series champions have now won 10 of their last 11 games, dating back to the regular season, and await the winner of the Brewers-Cubs series.
