The Los Angeles Dodgers have defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1 in 11 innings, in Game 4 of the NLDS, clinching the series and moving to the NLCS for the second straight season. 

They won this one on a walk-off fielder’s choice error. The bases were loaded with Andy Pages at the plate. There were two outs. He sent a grounder right back to pitcher Orion Kerkering, who had to hustle to make a play at home plate and threw the ball away, allowing the series-clinching run to score. It’s difficult to know if the throw would’ve beaten the throw. Then again, he could have taken the out at first instead, but it doesn’t matter now. The Dodgers won. 

This one was an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel through six innings. It was 0-0. Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow had allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out eight. Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez had allowed just four hits without a walk with five strikeouts. 

It was a duel all game, really, just not between the starters in the late innings.

The Dodgers elected to pull Glasnow after 83 pitches. It was Emmet Sheehan who took over. J.T. Realmuto singled to center. Max Kepler then sent a grounder to Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who got the force out at second. Due to the logistics of the play, the throw back to first was to Sheehan and the feed from shortstop Mookie Betts wasn’t handled by Sheehan. The Sheehan error caused the ball to get into the Phillies’ dugout, advancing Kepler to second. That’s when Nick Castellanos took advantage and drove home Kepler for a 1-0 Phillies lead. 

The Phillies decided to leave Sánchez in the game. He recorded the first out in the seventh, but then issued a walk and allowed a single. The Phillies then went straight to closer Jhoan Duran with eight outs left to record and a 1-0 lead. Duran coaxed a grounder out of Andy Pages, but it was to first base and moved the runners to second and third. That meant first base was open for Shohei Ohtani and the Phillies intentionally walked him to load the bases. Mookie Betts then drew a walk to tie the score, 1-1, before Teoscar Hernández struck out to leave the bases loaded. 

The Dodgers then went to Roki Sasaki, who only needed eight pitches to get through Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm.

Duran cruised through the bottom of the eighth. Sasaki cruised through the top of the ninth. And on it went until the bottom of the 11th when the Dodgers won it.

The Dodgers advance to the NLCS, awaiting the winner of the Cubs-Brewers series. The Phillies head to the winter empty-handed again. Since returning to the playoffs in 2022, they have lost in the World Series, lost in the NLCS and now lost in the NLDS two straight years.