Orion Kerkering stood on the field, his hands on his knees, looking down in heartbreak.
The Phillies reliever had just made the biggest error of the night, throwing the ball out of reach of catcher J.T. Realmuto and giving the Dodgers the 2-1 win to advance to the National League Championship Series.
Game 4 of the series on Thursday was tied in the bottom of the 11th when outfielder Andy Pages hit a ball back to Kerkering with the bases loaded and two outs.
The righty muffed the ball, and after hustling to pick it back up, he had a throw to first or home plate in front of him, with the throw to first appearing to be the easier out.
Instead, Kerkering rushed a throw to the plate that went way above the glove of Realmuto, who had been pointing toward first base to signal to the pitcher to make the throw there, and allowed the game-winning run to score.
The Dodgers stormed the field after the winning run scored and mobbed Pages as pandemonium swept Dodger Stadium.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson attempted to comfort Kerkering before he walked down the steps into the dugout.
“Just keep your head up. He just got caught in the moment a little bit,” Thomson said of the play. “Coming down the stretch, he pitched so well for us, and I feel for him because he’s putting it all on his shoulders. But we win as a team and we lose as a team.”
Other teammates attempted to comfort the visibly disheartened Kerkering while he was in the dugout, looking on at the Dodgers’ celebration.
The Dodgers will move on to face the winner of the Brewers-Cubs series in the NLCS, marking the second consecutive season they’ve made it to at least the NLCS.
The Phillies have been knocked out in the NLDS for the second straight year.