Phillies Eliminated in Game 4 Loss With Major Changes Looming
It was tight. It tested everyone’s patience. It didn’t end the way Philadelphia wanted. The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated on a walk-off hit by Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages in the…
It was tight. It tested everyone's patience. It didn't end the way Philadelphia wanted.
The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated on a walk-off hit by Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages in the 11th inning of Game 4. Orion Kerkering made a mistake that will haunt him for the rest of his major league career to overthrow the third out in the 11th and decisive inning.
The World Series or bust mentality defined the 2025 Phillies. Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Ranger Suarez headline a group of players with uncertain futures in an offseason of impending change after a second consecutive disappointing loss in the NLDS.
Pitcher’s Duel Through 6 Innings
Cristopher Sanchez and Tyler Glasnow faced off in an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel.
The gloves helped them out. The shadows rolled in. The scoreboard stayed empty.
Sanchez dealt the hard sinker sitting around 97 miles per hour and mixed the notoriously deceptive changeup with a frighteningly similar release that kept the Dodgers off balance all evening. He cruised with 42 pitches through four innings.
After escaping minimal traffic in the fifth, Sanchez ran into serious trouble in the sixth. Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez both reached on singles to put men on first and second with one out. Sanchez got Freddie Freeman to ground into a fielder's choice for the second out. He battled Tommy Edman in a six-pitch at-bat and retired the Los Angeles second baseman on a tapper for the third out.
The Phillies struggled for six innings against the long release of 6-foot-8 right-hander Tyler Glasnow. He threw his fastball with strong velocity sitting around 97. While the visitors laid off his curveball in the early innings, they slipped in their discipline gradually as Glasnow moved through six shutout innings with only two hits allowed.
Highlight-reel web gems from Max Kepler, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kike Hernandez helped keep the score blank through sixth innings.
Nerve-Racking 7th Inning
Emmet Sheehan relieved Glasnow in the seventh. He allowed Realmuto to reach on a single to lead off. Kepler grounded into what looked like a double play grounder that Mookie Betts started cleanly. Sheehan struggled to handle the throw at first, which ventured to the dugout and allowed Kepler to get into scoring position.
Nick Castellanos doubled to drive home the first run of the game with a screamer down the left field line. The hit finally broke a scoreless tie and gave the Phillies the upper hand.
Sanchez then similarly failed to deliver the conviction the Phillies lacked in Game 1. Alex Call reached on a walk, and Kike Hernandez singled to create the type of high-leverage playoff situation that makes every single viewer sweat. Rob Thomson pulled the plug. He handed the ball to Jhoan Duran in the crucial spot of the game with eight outs left to go.
The prized deadline acquisition failed to slam the door. He got Andy Pages to ground out, intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani, and walked Betts with the bases loaded to tie the score. He ended the inning by striking out Teoscar Hernandez.
Phillies Lose With Consequential Offseason Looming
The Dodgers couldn't finish the deal against Duran in the eighth. They couldn't solve Matt Strahm in the ninth or Jesus Luzardo in extras. The Phillies couldn't hold the hardest-hitting lineup in the majors quiet forever.
Orion Kerkering relieved Luzardo in the 11th. Andy Pages walked it off with a tapper back to the mound. The young righty couldn't handle a softly-hit grounder. The West Coast crowd went wild. The powerhouse Dodgers didn't need a big hit, just contact to head to the NLCS.
John Middleton spent lucratively on the fourth-highest payroll among 30 MLB teams for another NLDS loss. The Phillies will address the futures of Schwarber, Realmuto, Suarez, and others, but Dave Dombrowski must acknowledge the greater picture of a shrinking World Series window.
Major changes loom for a team that's repeated their mistakes in four consecutive MLB Postseason exits.
“I appreciate what they’ve done all year. They prepared, competed, picked each other up. (They’ve been) true professionals the entire year, and I'm extremely proud of how they went about their business. I’m proud that I'm their manager to tell you the truth, and that goes for the coaching staff. It goes for all the support staff, just a really elite group of people.”
-Rob Thomson
