Intro: A wild finish caps a tense series
In a tightly contestedNL matchup that lived up to its billing, the Los Angeles Dodgers seized a walk-off 2-1 victory in 11 innings over the Philadelphia Phillies to clinch the series at Dodger Stadium. The deciding moment came not from a blazing hit, but from a grounder mishandled and a throw awry by Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering, turning a routine out into an ending that will be remembered for years by Dodgers fans.
The turning point: Kerkering’s miscue seals the deal
With the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th, Andy Pages hit a 40-foot dribbler toward first. Kerkering rushed his throw home, then inexplicably bounced one to the plate, allowing the Dodgers to swarm home for the walk-off win. It was a cruel twist for a Phillies club that had hung with the Dodgers all night, and it ended a duel between two NL titans in dramatic fashion.
Pitching duel finally breaks open late
Both starters and bullpens carried the weight early, with neither offense able to break through until the late innings. Nick Castellanos supplied the Phillies’ breakthrough with a game-tying double in the seventh, but the Dodgers answered just as quickly when Mookie Betts drew a bases-loaded walk against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran with two outs in the seventh to even the score at 1-1.
Down the stretch, Dodgers rookie closer Roki Sasaki came on and delivered three flawless innings, continuing his remarkable adaptation to relief duties. Sasaki retired all nine batters he faced, consistently sitting at 100 mph. His ability to bridge the gap into extra innings gave Los Angeles the margin it needed to wait for the late-game moment that would decide the series.
Individual performances that defined the night
On the Dodgers’ side, Tyler Glasnow delivered a standout six-inning performance, firing fastballs up to 99 mph and punching out eight as he rose to the moment in his first postseason start with Los Angeles. Glasnow’s outing provided the kind of dominant top-to-bottom pitching that playoff baseball demands, leaving the door open for a late-inning Dodgers rally.
Roki Sasaki’s emergence as a reliable late-inning option cannot be overstated. After a spring where his future role wasn’t clear, Sasaki has morphed into a trusted weapon for a bullpen that needed a fresh right arm to close the door late in games and extend potential series opportunities.
What this means for the Dodgers’ postseason path
With the series win, Los Angeles advances to the National League Championship Series. Their opponent will be decided between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs, with the Dodgers holding the advantage of resting key arms after a taxing-clincher. The Dodgers enter NLCS with depth and confidence, thanks in large part to the unexpected late-season evolution of Sasaki as a high-leverage option and Glasnow’s electric form in October.
Philadelphia’s perspective: a series of near-misses
Philadelphia can take solace in the fact that this was a hard-fought series against a premier opponent. They pushed the Dodgers to the brink in several moments, but a handful of critical plays—most notably Kerkering’s late miscue—proved to be the difference. Jhoan Duran’s command was elite for most of the series, and the decision to walk Shohei Ohtani loaded the bases backfired in the seventh when Betts took advantage of a rare free pass to drive in the tying run.
Looking ahead: potential NLCS matchups
The Dodgers could face either the Brewers or Cubs in the NLCS, with high-level pitching and explosive offense on both sides. The Brewers present a different challenge, a pitching-centric approach that could stress a defense that showed lapses in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Cubs would bring a series of young, energetic hitters into a matchup that could swing on a few timely hits and bullpen management. Either path promises more postseason theater as L.A. looks to become the league’s first back-to-back champion in a quarter-century.
Bottom line
Baseball’s postseason is a grind, and this game embodied that truth. A grounded ball, a decision that backfired, and a bullpen that answered the bell all contributed to a Dodgers victory that will be remembered for the 11th-inning chaos and the season’s forward march.
