Nick Castellanos ran to support Orion Kerkering after a costly error ended the Philadelphia Phillies’ season in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kerkering’s throw over catcher J.T. Realmuto allowed the Dodgers to score the winning run, sending them to the NLCS with a 2-1 walk-off victory.
Castellanos described his reaction: “That’s second nature. That’s instinct,” he said. “I understand what he’s feeling. Not the exact emotions, but I can see them. I didn’t even have to think twice about it, that’s where I needed to run to.”
J.T. Realmuto was first to reach Kerkering as he stood on the field, visibly upset. Castellanos followed and walked with him off the field so that “he knows he’s not alone in that moment,” Castellanos explained.
Manager Rob Thomson met Kerkering at the dugout and offered words of encouragement. “Just keep his head up,” Thomson said when asked about their exchange. “He just got caught up in the moment a little bit. … 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.”
Kerkering said that support from teammates meant a lot during a difficult moment for him: “It means a lot,” he said, adding, “It shows they care a lot. Just means everything, for sure.” He also recounted other messages from teammates: “Just keep your head up. It’s an honest mistake. It’s baseball. [Stuff] happens. Just keep your head up, you’ll be good for a long time to come. Stuff like it’s not my fault kind of — had opportunities to score. Just keep your head up.”
The situation was rare; this is only the second time in postseason history that a series ended on a walk-off error—the previous instance was during the 2016 ALDS between Toronto and Texas.
Castellanos noted parallels with his own experience making the final out of the 2022 World Series: “When I made the last out in ’22 of the World Series, Paco waited for me to walk off the field,” referring to first-base coach Paco Figueroa.
Kyle Schwarber reflected on mistakes made during high-pressure games as well: “One play shouldn’t define someone’s career. I’ve had tons of failure in my life, my career,” Schwarber said, referencing his own two-error postseason game with Chicago in 2015 NLDS Game 3 against New York.
Kerkering intends to move forward from this setback: “Hopefully it’s the start of a long career,” he said. “Just keep it in the back of my head that this really [expletive] sucks right now, but hopefully, keep pushing and get over this hump and keep pushing.”
