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The Philadelphia Phillies' season came to a heartbreaking end on Thursday, as reliever Orion Kerkering's costly mistake allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to walk-off game four and clinch the NLDS series in the process.
Featuring on the TBS postgame show, legendary Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez offered some heartfelt advice to Kerkering, who is only 24. Though the immediate aftermath of the events that unfolded on Tuesday will have Kerkering feeling really low, Martinez encouraged him to "keep his head up" and learn from his error, instead of letting it weigh him down for the rest of his career.
"I actually feel really bad for this 24-year-old. I'll tell him (Orion Kerkering), hey, keep your head up. Learn from this mistake. Everyone that has been through baseball understands that even though it was a mental mistake, probably, all of us have gone through that. So, keep your head up, don't give up on yourself."
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"Your teammates understand you, they're honest, they're not going to hang it on you. For the fanbase, please understand, this kid was brought up prematurely. I know Philly is very demanding but, please, please, don't let this talent carry that load for the rest of his career," Martinez said [12:20]
"This really f***ing sucks right now" Orion Kerkering spoke about his costly error post game
Shortly after the Phillies were eliminated from the postseason, Orion Kerkering spoke to reporters. First, he spoke about the fateful moment and explained his thought process for throwing the ball back to home plate instead of going to first.
"The pressure got to me. I just thought it was a faster throw to J.T. [Realmuto], a little quicker throw, than trying to cross body to Bryce [Harper]. Just a horse sh*t throw," Orion Kerkering said [0:00]
Further, he talked about how he plans to use this painful moment to improve himself and the offseason, and come back stronger in 2025.
"[I can use this to improve] For sure. I'll be at a wall with a tennis ball for sure. Just kind of, keep going with it. Hopefully it's the start of a long career. Just keep this in the back of my head. This really f***ing sucks right now, but hopefully I can keep pushing and get over this hump," Kerkering added [1:10]
For now, Kerkering and the Phillies are left to reflect on another promising year that ended with heartbreak in the postseason. With many top players now free agents, we may see a new-look Phillies outfit take the field come 2026.
