LOS ANGELES — There was hope leaving Dodger Stadium Wednesday night. The Phillies were reminded what they’re capable of doing and put together a complete performance with an offensive explosion and structurally sound pitching.
All the momentum was in the Phillies’ favor going into Game 4. Cristopher Sanchez was on the mound and a win would send the NLDS back to Philadelphia with a chance to advance to the National League Championship Series for the third time in four seasons.
That hope went wide and fast, as did Orion Kerkering’s failed attempt to get Hyeseong Kim out at home in the 11th inning when the third out was right there at first base. An error and ending that had everyone in shock that will linger well into the offseason and beyond.
2-1, Dodgers. That’s a wrap on the Phillies’ 2025 season. One that started with so much hope to bounce back from a devastating exit last season.
Somehow, this exit already feels worse.
•People will look back at the photo-finish ending and mark Kerkering’s slip up as the scapegoat for Game 4, but in reality, the reason the Phillies’ playoff run ended the way it did was the same way it’s happened the previous three seasons. The offense going ice cold. The Phillies could only muster up one run in 11 innings. That’s not good enough against any team, especially one looking to repeat as World Series champions. It can’t just be swinging for the fences or nothing in an elimination game. There were no adjustments made. How do you expect to win a game when the top three in the order go 1-for-14? So yes, the way the game ended is the final stamp on the 2025 season but this one was lost well before Kerkering ever took the mound. The Phillies beat themselves.
•There were a lot of questions surrounding the pitching throughout this series. It started with Ranger Suarez being available in the bullpen for the first two games, not being used and then seeing the Aaron Nola-Suarez piggyback being executed perfectly in Game 3. Rob Thomson trusts his guys, that’s nothing new but sometimes the pressure is too much. Kerkering is the perfect example. He allowed two runs just two games prior when coming in for Luzardo. Now, he comes in with the season on the line and the moment was too big. It was a heartbreaking scene as Dodgers players filtered around Kerkering to meet Andy Pages at first to celebrate. It was even more difficult to see the 24-year-old put the entire loss on his shoulders from the second it happened well into postgame availability. It was a lot to watch unfold, it’s impossible to imagine the way he was feeling.
•You would’ve hoped the Phillies learned from their mistakes in Game 1 and not waste another fantastic start from Cristopher Sanchez. Two times he stepped up to the moment and the offense fell short. Zack Wheeler is done for the season and Sanchez steps up as the club’s ace without hesitation or difficulty to adapt and you can’t find a way to score any kind of run support? Poor Sanchez. Poor Luzardo for getting the same experience in Game two. And poor Sanchez, again. This is nothing new for the Phillies. Make sure to give Sanchez his flowers. Give him the whole dang garden. If Sanchez comes out next season at this level, expect to see his name in Cy Young conversations. Sanchez pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and one run. That should’ve been enough to pull out a win. You also can’t ignore the Dodgers’ matchups on the mound, they did their jobs and well. This series was a dream for anyone who craves a pitching duel.
•Circle the sixth inning as the silent killer. Outside of an early Alec Bohm error Thursday, the defense was everything you needed it to be in an elimination game. Trea Turner makes a diving catch to squash all momentum on the base paths and helps Sanchez out of his fifth consecutive scoreless inning. How does the heart of the order respond? Kyle Schwarber strikeout, Bryce Harper ground out, Alec Bohm single and Brandon Marsh being called out on strikes.
•Nick Castellanos has the potential to go down as one of the most misunderstood athletes in Philadelphia history. His honesty is unique in ways you don’t see often anymore, and because he’s in the spotlight, it gets tossed under a microscope. Of course he cares and it’s crazy to think otherwise. Castellanos sent a jolt through Citizens Bank Park in the ninth inning in Game 2 with a two-run double. He then rips one down the left field line just fair Thursday to get Max Kepler home from second. It took seven innings to get a run across the plate from either team and Castellanos gets the credit for it.
•It was a roller-coaster first year in Philadelphia for Max Kepler. There were offensive struggles, comments made about wanting to be an every day player and a turnaround that no one could’ve predicted. Kepler has come up HUGE defensively in the past two games with two diving catches that stopped the bleeding before it even had a chance to begin. Freddie Freeman led off the bottom of the second with a single and if Tommy Edman’s line drive to left had gotten past him, there’s a good chance the Dodgers go up.
•You know the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different outcome. A picture of the core of the 2022-25 Phillies officially needs to be printed next to the definition moving forward. How upsetting it will be to look back on this core and think they never won it all. So many squandered opportunities in the most heartbreaking of ways. Moves that should’ve been made two seasons ago will now have to be made simply due to the amount of expiring contracts within the club. When the Phillies take the field in about five months, things are going to look very different.