Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering’s throwing error with the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th inning allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to score the winning run and advance to the National League Championship Series on Thursday.
Kerkering and the Phillies went home in a crushing 2-1 defeat to drop the division series to the defending champions, 3 games to 1.
“This really fucking sucks right now,” he said.
He struggled to field the ball off the bat of LA’s Andy Pages, but could have made the easier throw to first baseman Bryce Harper for what might have been the final out of the inning to keep the score at 1-1.
Instead, he overthrew catcher J.T. Realmuto at home plate in a lapse of desperation.
Kerkering said he panicked in the moment.
“Once the pressure got to me,” he said, he envisioned a faster throw to home plate even though the better play was to first.
He said he didn’t hear teammates telling him to throw to first or see Realmuto pointing to first.
“Just a horseshit throw,” he said.
Teammates told him to keep his head up, he told reporters.
That would be a tall order right now.
