Category: Baseball

Roki Sasaki was literally the toast of the Dodgers.

“Shot for Roki!” infielder Miguel Rojas screamed.

Hooting and hollering, the players raised the little paper cups in their hands and emptied the contents into their mouths to celebrate the three perfect innings delivered by Sasaki in an 11-inning, 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies that secured their place in the National League Championship Series.

The emergence of Sasaki as an October hero was as unexpected as his relief performances in the NL Division Series were electric.

How did this happen?

How could a newcomer who practically vanished when he went down with a shoulder impingement five months earlier become the team’s most dominant reliever?

How could a pitcher on whom the Dodgers had more or less given up produce what manager Dave Roberts described as “one of the great all-time appearances out of the pen”?

Sasaki can point to when he started down the road to postseason glory.

“The scene in the hotel,” Sasaki said in Japanese.

Sept. 8.

Sasaki was in a hotel room in Oklahoma City, preparing to pitch the next day for the Dodgers’ triple-A affiliate.

Read more:Plaschke: A wild finish propels the Dodgers into NLCS and past their toughest playoff test

While eating, he watched videos of himself pitching for Ofunato High School. His signature high leg kick was the same then as it was now, but what he did in the next phase of his delivery wasn’t.

Sasaki noticed that he used to be more explosive before landing his plant foot and releasing the baseball.

“This is it,” he said to himself.

Right there, in his Oklahoma City hotel room, Sasaki started shadow pitching, wanting to recapture the feeling in his lower body from when he was viewed as the most talented pitcher his country had ever produced.

The next day, Sasaki rediscovered his fastball.

Of the 90 pitches he threw in his 4⅔-inning start, six of them were clocked faster than 100 mph. His average fastball velocity was 98.5 mph.

His average fastball velocity in the start before that: 94.4 mph.

A couple of days later, Sasaki met with Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes. While assuring him they viewed him as a starter next year and beyond, they presented him with the idea of a temporary move to the bullpen, which could drastically improve his chances of making the playoff roster.

Sasaki has done more than make the roster.

Most valuable players aren’t chosen for division-round series, but if they were, Sasaki would have likely claimed the prize.

He saved Games 1 and 2.

Roberts called on Sasaki to pitch two innings in the clinching game. Sasaki ended up pitching three, starting with an eighth inning in which he retired Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm in order.

Sasaki made the Phillies look as overmatched at the plate as Postseason Shohei Ohtani, also pitching perfect ninth and 10th innings.

“I was relieved,” Sasaki said.

Roberts was feeling more intense emotion — “Pure elation,” he said — which was why he didn’t wait for Sasaki to return to the dugout to embrace him. Roberts jumped off the bench and hugged Sasaki on the field.

Sasaki’s effort kept the score level at 1-1, positioning the Dodgers to win the game in the 11th inning on a throwing error by Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering.

“Roki was unbelievable,” starter Tyler Glasnow said. “Since coming back, coming in from the bullpen, he’s honestly one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen. His stuff is incredible.”

Sasaki didn’t look like this in the eight starts he made early in the regular season. Part of that was health-related, as Sasaki has said that his shoulder problems affected his arm slot. When Sasaki recovered, he regained more than his natural throwing motion and previous fastball velocity.

He also regained his confidence.

Sasaki has projected an entirely different energy than he did at his introductory news conference, at which he looked uncomfortable.

When he was asked if he was taunted by fans at Citizens Bank Park, he said he didn’t understand what they were saying. The implication: He didn’t care.

Read more:Dodgers defeat Phillies in a wild, instant-classic walk-off to reach the NLCS

When he was asked about his first season in the major leagues, he said he felt as if his injury prevented him from gauging the level of competition. The implication: If he was healthy, he would have dominated the way he is now.

“He’s very shy, reserved,” Roberts said. “But I do think that [since] coming back, he’s opened up a lot more. I think he’s showing more of who he really is and showing some emotion.”

The change was reflected on the field in the NLDS, Sasaki attacking the Phillies in a style that conveyed a hit-me-if-you-can attitude. The demeanor has contributed to him being the ace of the bullpen this October and it could be why he will be the ace of the rotation in the future.

“We’re starting to see something really special in him,” Roberts said. “What he’s done now on the biggest stages, he’s just scratching the surface.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

When Giants exec Buster Posey knew Northern California was ‘home' for his family originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Northern California is home to Buster Posey.

The Giants president of baseball operations explained why he knew the Golden State is where he belongs in Wednesday’s inaugural “415 Podcast” episode hosted by The San Francisco Standard’s Kerry Crowley.

“Well, this is home,” Posey told Crowley. “I think for me personally, it took a year away to realize just how important and special this part of the world had become to me and my wife and our kids. My wife will tell you, she didn’t want to make the move back to Georgia to begin with. … It’s really hard to explain. You’re hopeful that everybody out there gets to experience that feeling of a place where you belong. And we’ve spent basically our entire adult lives here; our kids were all born here.

“Really, what spurred this move on was [that] we came back out, probably eight months or so to being in Georgia, and were visiting some friends and here for some sort of engagement … Like 24 hours in, my wife and I looked at each other, and [we were] like, ‘Why aren’t we living here?’ And it was one of those strange life moments, where we made the decision on the fly.”

Posey essentially grew up in San Francisco after the franchise selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft out of Florida State, playing his entire 13-year career with the Giants.

Upon retiring in 2021, Posey moved his family back to their roots in Georgia, but as he explained, California kept calling.

And it’s safe to say it was meant to be.

“We’ve been back a couple of years now,” Posey told Crowley. “It’s great. It’s home. The downside is definitely not being able to see family as much as we’d like. But this is home for the Poseys, and we love being here.”

It seems Posey will stay “home” for good.

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This hasn’t been the best of seasons for Tommy Edman or the best of postseasons for Andy Pages.

But both stepped up when they were needed most Thursday, with Edman singling to start the game-winning rally and Pages’ soft comebacker to the mound starting the strange play that gave the Dodgers a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. The victory sends the team on to next week’s NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers.

For Edman, baseball’s biggest stage has long been a comfortable place. If teammate Kiké Hernández has proven to be one of the best postseason players in recent history, Edman isn’t far behind. In five playoff series with the Dodgers, Edman, a .258 hitter in the regular season, is batting .306. And last October he had 11 hits and 11 RBIs against the Mets in the NLCS, winning MVP honors.

Read more:Dodgers defeat Phillies in a wild, instant-classic walk-off to reach the NLCS

“Tommy is a competitor,” infielder Miguel Rojas said during the Dodgers’ beer-soaked victory celebration, a pair of ski googles on his head and a bottle of champagne in one hand. “I feel like everything that happens to him in this stage is not a coincidence.”

Edman certainly deserves something for the patience and persistence he showed during a trying summer. A right ankle injury, which sent him to the injury list twice, limited him to just 97 games and his .225 batting average and 78 hits were his lowest totals for a full season. Yet despite playing in discomfort during the playoffs, he’s hit safely in four of the five games in which he’s appeared.

“Everybody on our team likes the big moment,” Edman said. “We just do our best to keep on passing the baton and find a way to win.”

Edman made his biggest contribution in the 11^th inning Thursday, though he had to watch from the bench to see how it played out. With one out, Edman battled through an eight-pitch at-bat before lining a single to left, the Dodgers’ first hit since the seventh inning.

Edman then exited for pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim, who came around to score the winning run on a single, a walk and Pages’ two-hopper back to the mound that Phillies’ pitcher Orion Kerkering fumbled, then threw away. The comic sequence so surprised Kim, he ran past the plate before returning to make sure the run counted.

“You see the ball come off the bat, you think it's the third out, and you see him boot it and throw the ball away,” Edman said. “And that's the game right there. Definitely not the way we expected to win.”

It may not have been pretty, or even particularly memorable. But it kept alive the Dodgers’ quest to win a second consecutive World Series.

“We’re glad to be moving on,” Edman said. “And hopefully it ends well with a few more wins.”

While Edman is at his best under the postseason spotlight, Pages is...well, the opposite. He hit .211 with more strikeouts than hits in the first two playoff series last fall and was left off the roster for the World Series.

His struggles have been even more pronounced this fall. When he came to the plate with the bases loaded in the 11^th inning Thursday, he was 1 for 23 in the postseason.

He managed to put the ball in play, however, and Kerkering did the rest.

“Anything can happen when you put the ball in play,” Rojas said. “He's been fighting, and he's been going through it in the [batting] cage. I know how hard he works. The confidence that he can get from this is going to be amazing.”

Across the room Pages stood in an expanding puddle of champagne, clutching a handful of Budweiser bottles as teammates took turns pouring beer over this head.

“I knew that moment would come,” he said in Spanish. “The two at-bats before the last one, I had good at-bats. But it wasn't my moment. So, I just thought maybe there will be another one.”

For Pages, who batted .272 with 27 homers and 86 RBIs during the regular season, it wasn’t the most impressive at-bat in his short career. But it may have been the most important.

“Our goal has always been the same: to win the World Series,” Pages said.“To keep moving forward, keep winning games, is what ultimately matters to us.”

But there’s also something personal at stake for Pages, who grew up in Cuba so poor his carpenter father made the bats he played with. He escaped from the island at 15 to chase a pro career, the only thing that would make that sacrifice worth the price. His parents, meanwhile, remain in Cuba, separated from a son who they follow on TV and through social media.

Read more:Plaschke: A wild finish propels the Dodgers into NLCS and past their toughest playoff test

So Pages, juggling the beer bottles, took a moment to raise a toast to them in the bedlam of the victory celebration.

“To all the people who supported me during the bad times I was going through,” he said. “I am always grateful to them.”

Thursday he and Edman gave those people something to cheer.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

“It’s humbling,” Sullivan said on winning his first game with the Rangers. “It’s an incredible honor to be the coach of the New York Rangers. It’s a franchise that has such history to it. For me it’s just a privilege that I don’t take for granted. I’m excited about the group of players that we have here. 

“There’s been a certain enthusiasm on the team that has been really rewarding from a coaching standpoint. It’s tangible, we can feel it. We get the first win, it means a lot to me, J.T. (Miller) gave me the game puck, which was nice.”

No, he didn’t.

Yes, they did!

No, Philadelphia Phillies’ reliever Orion Kerkering did not just botch a grounder and throw it away with the season on the line!

Yes, it happened with two out and the bases loaded and allowed the Dodgers to steal a National League Division Series clinching 2-1 victory in 11 taut innings Thursday at Dodger Stadium!

Clinched, just in time.

Read more:Dodgers defeat Phillies in a wild, instant-classic walk-off to reach the NLCS

Clinched, while the other guys were clenching.

With their backs quickly approaching the wall, faced with a loss that would return the series to Philadelphia for a deciding Game 5, the Dodgers dug in and lashed out and ultimately suffocated the talented and favored Phillies to take a three-games-to-one series win and clear the way toward their second consecutive World Series title.

And they did it thanks to a mad, mindless throw from a frozen, frightened reliever.

Has any postseason series ended with such an error?

“It’s brutal,” acknowledged Dodger Manager Dave Roberts.

It happened in the 11th, after Tommy Edman hit a one-out single to left, then moved to third one out later on a single by Max Muncy. Kiké Hernández walked to load the bases, bringing up the struggling Andy Pages, who entered the day with an .053 playoff average and had gone hitless in four previous at-bats.

He proceeded to hit into his fifth out… except Kerkering muffed the grounder. When the pitcher finally picked up the ball, he still had plenty of time to throw out Pages at first, and catcher JT Realmuto gestured for him to throw it to first... but he didn't throw it to first. Instead, he panicked and threw it home, launching it far over Realmuto’s head.

“Once the pressure got to me, I just thought there's a faster throw to JT… little quicker throw than trying to cross-body it to Bryce (Harper),” said Kerkering afterward. “So just a horses— throw… honest mistake. Just it's baseball, s— happens.”

Pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim scored the winning run as Kerkering stood slumped on the mound with his hands on his knees while the Dodgers danced wildly across the field around him.

“I mean, when this happens, it's like your entire world comes to a stop,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “It's just a thud.”

One man’s thud is another man’s triumph, and the Dodgers will now be shouting their way deep into October, advancing to the National League Championship Series, where they will be heavy favorites against either the Milwaukee Brewers or Chicago Cubs.

A victory in that seven-game set will land them back in the World Series, where they will be even heavier favorites against whatever inferior team the American League can muster.

Yeah, the rest of their journey should be the easy part, the Dodgers already conquering their Goliath equal in a Phillies series that was essentially the World Series.

“It was a war,” said Roberts. “It was a battle.”

Remember last fall when they defeated the San Diego Padres in a tense five-game fight before cruising to the title? This was that. This was the two best teams in baseball. This was the Dodgers once again swallowing all the pressure and refusing to relent.

After a breathtaking six-inning scoreless pitching duel between the Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow and the Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez, the Phillies struck first in the seventh with a single, an error by reliever Emmet Sheehan, and a double by Nick Castellanos.

The Dodgers countered in the bottom of the seventh with two walks and a single followed by a bases-loaded walk drawn by Mookie Betts against closer Jhoan Duran.

This set the stage for the Error Heard ‘Round The World, which shouldn’t obscure the fact that the Dodgers played hard enough to earn this victory without an asterisk.

Glasnow, maligned throughout his two Dodgers seasons for a lack of resilience, was brilliantly tough, giving up only two hits with eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings.

“What he did, it was his time today,” said Roberts. “Today was his moment. And I was just very happy to see that he rose to that occasion.”

Roki Sasaki, struggling with injury and ineffectiveness throughout his rookie season, was equally as brilliant with three perfect innings.

“Oh, my gosh. You're talking about one of the great all-time appearances out of the pen that I can remember,” said Roberts.

Then there were the great plate appearances in the 11th inning that laid the groundwork for the error. Edman’s single came with two strikes, Muncy’s single came against a left-hander, and Hernández worked a six-pitch walk with the final two balls coming with two strikes.

“It was just a great inning,” said Roberts. “Again, we just kept fighting.”

Before these playoffs there was a lot of talk about the Dodgers’ late-season struggles that were symbolized by that blown no-hitter in Baltimore. They had no bullpen depth. They had no offensive patience. They were headed for another early October exit.

It turns out, that’s what outsiders thought. That’s clearly not what the Dodgers thought.

“I think it boils down to the guys we have in the clubhouse,” said Muncy earlier this week in a pregame news conference. “We have a lot of experience, a lot of really good players. We've been there before. We accomplished it.”

Read more:Dodgers defeat Phillies in 11-inning thriller to advance to NLCS

They were impressive in the four games against the Phillies. Here’s guessing they’re going to get even better before the month ends.

“I still think there's another gear in there,” said Muncy. “I don't think we fully reached where we can be at. And that's not saying we are, and that's not saying we aren't. But I still think there's a whole other level in there we haven't reached yet.”

The Times’ Bill Shaikin quickly asked, “What would tell you you've reached it?”

“I think you would know,” said Muncy.

The media laughed. The baseball world shivered.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading back to the National League Championship Series after an extraordinary error from Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering ended his team’s season.

A WALK-OFF TO MOVE ON TO THE NLCS. pic.twitter.com/JPveGti3Nu

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 10, 2025

With the scores tied at 1-1 and the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Dodgers’ Andy Pages hit a routine grounder to Kerkering. But the 24-year-old fumbled the ball and, instead of going to first for an easy out, he threw it wide of catcher JT Realmuto at home plate as Hyeseong Kim scored the winning run. The 2-1 win sealed a 3-1 series victory for the Dodgers, who will face either the Milwaukee Brewers or Chicago Cubs for a place in the World Series.

Kerkering slumped in despair after his error and was comforted by manager Rob Thomson.

The Phillies had gifted the defending champions their other run in the seventh when Jhoan Durán walked Mookie Betts with the bases loaded allowing Justin Dean to score. The Phillies had taken the lead at the top of the inning when Max Kepler scored off Nick Castellanos’s double.

It was another frustrating end to a season for the Phillies, who were the No 2 seed in the National League after winning the NL East. Despite an excellent rotation and a strong batting lineup they have lost in the NLDS two years in succession; last year they were eliminated by NL East rivals the New York Mets. They also lost in the 2023 NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks, despite at one point holding a 3-2 series lead.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, are into the NLCS for the eighth time in 13 seasons.

‘It's the worst feeling': Another Phillies season ends far too soon originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LOS ANGELES – To a man in the Phillies’ tiny clubhouse following their 11-inning, season-ending 2-1 loss to the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, it didn’t come down to pitcher Orion Kerkering throwing the ball errantly towards home with the bases loaded after he bobbled a come-back grounder, allowing the winning run to score. That was just a play in the series, in which the Dodgers advanced by winning three of four. There were other opportunities missed, hits that weren’t had, runners that were left stranded, plays that weren’t executed. Not a ton of them, as this was a really well played series between two of the best in baseball, but enough that putting the series loss on that one play wasn’t justified, in their eyes.

A wonderful pitcher’s duel in which both teams got terrific outings from their starters, multiple pressure packed innings from their relievers and splendid defensive gems, ended on a play that will be remembered for a long time in the Philadelphia area.

Kerkering came into the game in the 11th with two outs and runners on first and third. After walking Kike Hernandez, Kerkering got a swinging strike on Andy Pages with a 97 mph sinker. Pages then hit the next pitch right back to Kerkering, who bobbled the grounder but still had plenty of time to get the out at first, with catcher J.T. Realmuto calmly pointing that way. But the moment got to Kerkering, and when he gathered the ball, he threw it well wide of Realmuto at home and the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS with the hard-fought win.

“Just kind of the pressure got to me. Just in the moment,” said a distraught Kerkering.

As many said throughout the somber clubhouse following their final game of the season, that play didn’t define the series. Their top three hitters in Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper were offensively inept again Thursday, going 1-for-14 with four strikeouts and three runners left on base. There was a bases-loaded walk by Jhoan Duran that tied the game in the seventh inning after the Phillies purposely loaded the bases by intentionally walking Shohei Ohtani. There were seven runners left on base, a wasted wonderful starting outing from Cristopher Sanchez and a few more tidbits here and there. And that’s just Game Four. Add to that the many chances the Phillies had to not get into a 2-0 hole with losses at home to begin the series and the contemplation among the players makes sense.

“You either win or lose,” said Turner, who went 4-for-17 in the series with three RBI. “I don’t care how it ends, who it is, what it is. It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day losing sucks. It’s the worst feeling. It sucks. I felt like we played a really good team and we played really clean baseball for a lot of innings. I felt like we had some more opportunities offensively, myself included. If those things go one way or the other in a few of these games, who knows what happens. We lost and we have to do better.

“When you’re facing elimination, you can’t afford to have a single bad game or really a single bad at-bat. They all count. They all feel really big. Who knows what happens if you hit a single here or there or get a walk here or there. Who knows what happens. I think we all feel that. We want to be that person up there in those situations and we didn’t get it done. That’s on me and on us.”

The Phillies took the lead on Thursday in the seventh when Max Kepler scored on an RBI double by Nick Castellanos down the left field line. It was the first run of the game and appeared as if it may be enough to even the series and send it back to Philadelphia.

But it was quickly wiped out in the bottom of the inning, amid a very controversial call. Sanchez got Will Smith to ground out to short on a wonderful play by Turner. Then, after a missed called third strike by home plate umpire Mark Wegner, Alex Call walked. Sanchez then gave up a single to Kike Hernandez, and his day was over. On his way off the mound, he had some words for Wegner, who answered back to Sanchez.

“He knows he missed it because he told me and he apologized to me,” said Sanchez. “But a lot of pressure, important game, important situation, you can’t miss those things. You can’t miss those calls. I get it with the added pressure and all, but the pitch was a strike. So that’s going to stick in the back of his mind, there.”

Manager Rob Thomson brought in closer Duran to close out the inning and he got Pages to ground out to first, putting runners on second and third with two outs. The Phillies then gave Ohtani the free pass to load the bases before Duran walked Mookie Betts on six pitches to bring home the tying run.

“That’s Jhoan’s first career bases loaded walk,” Thomson said. “So, you’re not expecting that.”

Just as no one involved with the Phillies expected them to be ousted by the Dodgers in four games. Though they are the defending champs and still a very solid team, many truly believed this was the Phillies year.

The hugs and tears and disappointment in the clubhouse was all there to see, with the heavy cloud of free agents Schwarber, Realmuto and Ranger Suarez hanging in the air.

“It doesn’t feel good,” said Schwarber, his lips quivering in emotion. “You make a lot of different relationships in the clubhouse. You don’t know how it’s going to work out. You just make so many personal relationships with guys and you spend how much time with these guys throughout the course of the year and they become family and you just never know how it’s going to go. These guys know how I feel about them. I got a lot of respect for the guys in here, the organization, the coaching staff, everyone, top to bottom. This is a premier organization, and a lot of people should feel very lucky that you’re playing for a team that is trying to win every single year, and you have a fan base that cares, and you have an ownership that cares, you have coaches that care.”

Schwarber has often been described as the heart and soul of the team due to his steady presence and terrific chemistry with everyone. Realmuto isn’t at all behind in those categories and everyone gravitates towards the sunny disposition of Suarez.

If this isn’t that last run that the primary core of this group has, the somberness sure made a hint that it may be.

“I’m not sure,” said Harper about the future. “J.T. is one of the best catchers in baseball. Our guys love pitching to him, throwing to him. He calls a great game. Had a great year this year, had a great postseason. Schwarbs is one of our team leaders, cornerstone of our organization. I’m not really sure what happens or what goes into this offseason or where we kind of go from here. I think those guys are going to be a main decision for us and main conversation for us as a team and as a club. We love those guys and want them back.”

Thomson, who has the backing of his players to return as this team’s manager, sang the praises of his players during a season that saw them lose their ace pitcher when Zack Wheeler went down in August, and overcame many adversities throughout the season.

“I told them after the game I appreciate what they’ve done all year,” Thomson said. “They prepared, competed, picked each other up. True professionals the entire year. I’m extremely proud of how they went about their business. That goes for the coaching staff, all the support staff. It’s a unique group of people. They win as a team they lose as a team. They support each other. As bad as you feel, it’s good to see them be there for each other.

“When this happens it’s like the entire world comes to a stop. It’s just a thud. It’s just not a good feeling. Especially the regular season, we were really good. We had a lot of wins. We expected a lot more.”

And now comes the offseason of questions and answers, players coming and going. How it all plays out will be seen over the next few months, but this sting will last for a while with this group.

“I know fans are upset, it’s warranted,” said Harper. “We’re upset in here as well. Our daily life is Philly baseball. This is our family in here. This is what we do. We want to win not just for ourselves but for everybody that watches us play as a fan base and everything else. I understand what they’re going through. I’ve lost many playoff series and many games in the playoffs and it’s not fun. I want it more than probably a lot of people. I want to hold that trophy and that’s the goal every single time you get into spring training and that’s going to be the goal for us going into spring training this year.”

For now, that just doesn’t resonate for many. Not yet, at least.

Andy Pages hit a dribbler to the mound.

Orion Kerkering fielded it — then threw away the Philadelphia Phillies’ season.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, that’s how the Dodgers secured a 2-1 walk-off win. On a throwing error from Kerkering. On a ball that went sailing to the backstop to allow Hyeseong Kim to score. On a brutal, confounding decision from the Phillies reliever, that unleashed pandemonium inside Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers won the series 3-1.

And Thursday’s finale became an instant classic.

In what started as a pitchers’ duel between two dominant starters, then morphed into a battle of the bullpens, the Dodgers prevailed with a rally in the 11th. They loaded the bases on singles from Tommy Edman and Max Muncy, then a two-out walk from Kiké Hernández.

Pages came to the plate next, and swung through a first-pitch sinker.

Then, however, came the shocking end.

Pages hit another sinker that dribbled in front of the mound. Kerkerking fielded it and — instead of getting what would have been an almost certain inning-ending out at first — inexplicably turned and threw to home instead.

The ball sailed on him. Catcher J.T. Realmuto couldn’t keep it from going to the backstop. Kim crossed the plate, then went back and stomped on it just to be certain.

Kerkerking bent over in immediate regret, as the Dodgers came pouring out of the dugout to mob Pages near first base.

“I thought he was gonna throw to first,” Pages said through an interpreter in an on-field interview. “But when I saw him throw home, I knew the game was over.”

All afternoon, the tension had been building at Chavez Ravine.

Through six innings, both Tyler Glasnow and Cristopher Sánchez had kept the opposing lineup off the board. In the seventh, both teams broke through with a run after getting relievers onto the mound. And from there, the drama only continued to build, as the clubs went back to trading zeros to force the game into extras.

Long before the end, there were star-worthy moments. Mookie Betts drew a bases-loaded walk off Phillies closer Jhoan Durán to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Roki Sasaki entered in the eighth for what became three perfect innings of relief, retiring all nine batters he faced.

By the end, it was almost easy to forget about the starting pitching performances that shaped such a quintessential, low-scoring, nerve-wracking October dog fight.

In his first start of the postseason, Glasnow pitched six scoreless in which he struck out eight batters, leaned heavily on a fastball that had extra life, and stranded all six runners who reached base against him.

On the other side, Sánchez matched him step-for-step, flummoxing the Dodgers for the second time this series with six scoreless frames of his own to start the day.

Finally, in the seventh, both lineups found something.

The top half of the inning began with a major decision from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who elected to pull Glasnow after 83 pitches (for context, he had thrown 70 total pitches the previous 18 days) and with the bottom half of the Phillies order due up.

Emmet Sheehan took over, but immediately faced danger. J.T. Realmuto poked a leadoff single to center with a good piece of hitting on a two-strike slider. Then, Sheehan appeared to have gotten a double-play grounder from Max Kepler — only to miss Mookie Betts’ throw while covering first. The ball bounced into the camera well. Kepler advanced to second. The error would prove to be costly. Nick Castellanos roped a line drive just inside the third-base line in the next at-bat, doubling home Kepler to open the scoring.

Sheehan, however, settled down, limiting the damage there with an inning-ending strikeout of Trea Turner.

And even in the face of their first deficit of the day, the Dodgers responded, knocking Sánchez out of the game with one out in the bottom of the seventh after an Alex Call walk and Hernández single.

In an aggressive move from a manager fighting to keep his team’s season alive, Phillies skipper Rob Thomson summoned the flame-throwing Durán for an eight-out save. But he would only get one before blowing the lead, walking Mookie Betts with the bases loaded later in the inning (following an Andy Pages grounder that moved the runners, and an intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani).

From there, the game lay in the hands of both teams’ bullpens.

Sasaki retired all nine batters he faced from the eighth to the 10th. The Phillies also posted three-straight zeros, thanks to some help from what was their projected Game 5 starter, Jesús Luzardo. Alex Vesia stranded a Phillies runner at second in the 11th by striking out Harrison Bader in a 10-pitch at-bat.

Finally, the Dodgers built a rally in the bottom of the 11th.

Edman hit a one-out single off Luzardo, and was replaced by Kim as a pinch-runner. Muncy also singled two batters later, allowing Kim to speed all the way to third. With Hernández up, the Phillies summoned Kerkering for a right-on-right matchup. But after walking Hernández to load the bases, it all came down to Pages.

And, it turned out, a decision from Kerkering that ended the Phillies’ season, and it moved the Dodgers another step closer to a World Series title defense.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

What Buster Posey's most proud of after first season as Giants executive originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While the Giants late-season collapse wasn’t what president of baseball operations Buster Posey had in mind for his club, the former San Francisco catcher turned-front-office leader does say there were some positive takeaways from the 2025 season.

“One is happy to sign [Willy] Adames, happy to trade for [Rafael] Devers,” Posey told The San Francisco Standard’s Kerry Crowley on the “Section 415” podcast. “[Matt] Chapman being here, Jung Hoo [Lee] being here. … Happy about some of the consistency that we had in the lineup, that we were able to have a lineup that we could roll out there and that our fans could hopefully be excited about coming to the park or watching on TV.”

Posey also says his partner when it comes to roster decisions did what he intended when he hired him in November of 2024.

“When I hired Zack Minasian as the general manager, I was hoping that his experience at touching different levels was going to cover many blind spots for me, which I do feel like we have a great working relationship,” Posey said. “His background as a pro scout really gave me peace of mind as we went into the first trade deadline and Hadi Raad and his group… I felt like did a really nice job at targeting some players that we see that will fit the style of baseball that we believe it will take to win a lot of games.

“Same with the draft this year. You never know, right? It’s hard to say when you’ve got an 18-to-21, 22-year-old, what player they’re going to turn into, but I do think that those groups did a nice job at targeting certain skill sets that we’re looking for.”

As the Giants legend and company continue to build a team that’s now missed the postseason for four straight seasons, the fact that Posey feels the team has a clear direction and players that fit their system is a potential sign of good things to come in the future.

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Juan Soto has always been known for his patience at the plate. 

The star outfielder put that on full display during his first season with the Mets, finishing with a league-high 127 walks and a National League-best .396 on-base percentage. 

However, during the season, hitting coach Eric Chavez believed Soto could be even more productive if the 26-year-old tinkered with his approach.

Chavez was a guest on Thursday’s episode of Foul Territory and was asked whether Soto could put up big offensive numbers if he was more aggressive at the plate and, perhaps, chase out of the strike zone more often.

He revealed that he spoke with manager Carlos Mendoza about that very topic.

“There were times, and I'll be honest. There were times where, myself, and I even talked to Carlos, about if we could get him to swing maybe 0-0 or some pitches he could do damage on early in counts -- but Juan, he is a precision hitter, I wouldn’t get him out of his comfort zone at all," Chavez said.

Soto’s first-pitch-swing rate dipped from last season with the Yankees (22.5 percent).

He also cut his chase rate down to an impressive 16.5 percent. 

All of that led to Soto finishing with a career-high 43 homers and 105 RBI.

While the Mets decided to move on from Chavez last week, he did suggest one way they could get creative with Soto without getting him out of that comfort zone is by bumping him up to the top spot in the order.

Soto has only been slotted there twice to this point in his big-league career.

“Juan is so good at getting on base,” Chavez said. “There are times where things are going and you’re in the middle of the lineup. Like Pete Alonso, we know Pete is going to chase, Pete is going to do damage. Juan can drive in 140 runs, but instead of doing that, where you’re telling him to get out of his comfort zone, slide him into the leadoff spot.

“He steals bases, he gets on base at a 40-percent clip, don’t have him get out of his comfort zone of what he likes to do, but you could be just as dynamic in the leadoff spot if you look at Shohei [Ohtani] and what he's done. Without changing the player too much, just change where he hits in the battling lineup.”

Instant Observations from Phillies' heartbreaking season-ending loss to Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

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 Andy Pages out at home in the 11th inning when the third out was right there at first base. An unbelievably frustrating error 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.

This exit already feels worse.

•Rob Thomson puts Orion Kerkering in behind Jesus Luzardo twice in this series and it came back to bite them, twice. There are two outs in the 11th and one of your top arms is on the mound, how do you opt to go to Kerkering in such a high-level situation? As the final ball of the evening dribbled out to Kerkering on the mound, J.T. Realmuto was gesturing for him to throw the ball over to first base. The ball soared so far away from Realmuto that you almost couldn’t believe it. But it happened. And that’s the lasting memory people will take away from this one. Thomson said the plan was to only have Luzardo pitch one inning because he was working on short rest and when he was pushing 30 pitches with back-to-back righties coming up, he wanted to make the change. It’s a nightmare of an ending when the game was still in reach.

•Sticking with the theme of two, how do you waste two fantastic starts from Cristopher Sanchez in the same series? Two of them. 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. The same thing happened with Wheeler in Game One of the NLDS last year against the Mets.

•The Phillies mustered up one run in 11 innings. That’s not good enough against any team, especially one looking to repeat as World Champions. Truth of the matter is, the big bats wanted to play hero ball. There were big swings and big moments in Game 3 that were trying to be replicated. They didn’t adjust, they didn’t try to play small, it was swing for the fences and go back to the dugout. How do you expect to win a series, let alone a game, when the top three in the order go 1-for-14? The photo-finish of the Kerkering throw ending the game is what people will remember down the road … but this one was lost well before.

•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. You couldn’t ask for anything better.

•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.

•There weren’t many holes in the lineup once the series shifted to L.A. but a surprising one has been Brandon Marsh. There were a handful of at-bats from Marsh with two outs and runners on where he couldn’t get anything going. It happened twice in Game 3 and in the first inning of Game 4. You know the stakes and getting even a single run across home plate would’ve been huge right out of the gate. Unlike Wednesday, it came back to bite the Phillies. Marsh went 0-for-7 in the final two games.

•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.

The 2026 free-agent class might not be as strong as originally anticipated, and that puts pressure on the New York Rangers to sign Artemi Panarin to a contract extension. 

Given all of the contracts the Rangers have dumped over the past year, on top of the fact that Artemi Panarin’s seven-year, 81.5 million deal is set to expire after the 2025-26 season, it seemed as if the Rangers were positioning themselves to be major players in the free-agent market this upcoming summer. 

The 2026 free-agent market was supposed to feature multiple superstar caliber players, including Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor. 

However, the landscape of the 2026 offseason has drastically changed. 

Over the past couple of weeks, McDavid signed a contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers, Kaprizov signed a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, Eichel signed a contract extension with the Vegas Golden Knights, and Connor signed a contract extension with the Winnipeg Jets. 

All of these moves simply shift leverage in contract negotiations from the Rangers to Panarin.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers wanted Panarin to take a team-friendly deal during the summer, but the two sides were unable to agree. 

“I understand, at some point in the off-season, the Rangers had that kind of conceptual conversation with Panarin: ‘Is there a way you could do for the Rangers what Kopitar did for the Kings?’” Friedman said. “Obviously, at this point and time, it hasn’t happened. I don’t know where that’s going to go, I don’t know if that’s going to be a possibility, but I do know the two sides had the conversation and, obviously, at this point, Panarin is unsigned.”

While the Blueshirts seem reluctant to commit to Panarin on a long-term basis, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury is handcuffed in this situation. 

Essentially, all of the players the Rangers could have replaced Panarin with who were set to hit the open market are no longer available. 

Injuries Still Impacting J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin As They Both Look To Get Back To Regular FormBoth J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin had to shake off some rust during the New York Rangers’ season opener on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Despite already being 33 years old, Panarin continues to show he has a lot left in the tank, and as of last season, he was still playing at an all-star caliber level. 

Panarin is gaining an upper edge on the Rangers the longer these negotiations take, and with all of these groundbreaking contract extensions getting finalized. 

The Rangers are not in a rebuild by any means and remain committed to a win-now mentality, and Panarin is their main offensive catalyst. 

Without a feasible backup plan in place, it may be time for the Rangers to sign Panarin to a contract extension once and for all.