Phillies rookie Orion Kerkering staying ‘ready for the next day’ after first rough outing in NLCS
Orion Kerkering has answered the call at just about every turn at every level this season, bursting on the scene as he’s risen from Class A to the Phillies’ playoff bullpen.
But in the biggest spot of the flame-throwing right-hander’s brief major-league career to this point, he failed a major test. Holding a one-run lead over the Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday night, Kerkering allowed a run on three hits in the seventh inning as Arizona tied the game to help set up an eventual 2-1 Philadelphia loss at Chase Field.
The 22-year-old with the wipeout slider threw a couple of hangers to Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the latter of which ended up in a game-tying double. After Pavin Smith singled for Arizona’s third straight hit, José Alvarado entered for Kerkering and escaped without further damage.
The Diamondbacks later walked it off on a Ketel Marte single in the bottom of the ninth to get their first win of the series.
For Kerkering, this was the highest leverage appearance for a rookie who made only three regular-season appearances in the bigs at the end of the year and had pitched four scoreless innings in lesser postseason opportunities. Still, he wasn’t surprised to get the ball.
“No, not really,” he said. “Just being ready for any moment, no matter the part of the game. So, just be ready for it.”
Kerkering didn’t feel that anything was wrong, just that he didn’t execute in this given outing. He’ll look to stay consistent moving forward and continue to rely on the stuff that has earned him the trust of Rob Thomson and the Phillies so quickly.
“Same thing,” Kerkering said. “Just be ready for the next day, whenever your name gets called.”
With the Phillies still up two games to one in the NLCS and chasing a World Series championship, Philadelphia will likely need Kerkering’s help in relief to reach the goal it just fell short of last year. And even after a bad outing, the team believes in the arm and the person to get the job done.
“Very high,” Trea Turner said of his confidence level in Kerkering. “From the second he stepped on the mound in his debut, he looked [as] confident as anybody we have. When he’s doing that, it gives me confidence. I’ve seen him do it, so I have no doubt he’ll throw another big inning for us.”
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