Philadelphia Phillies fans were universally stunned on Thursday night as they watched Orion Kerkering come in to get the final out of the 11th inning in a 1-1 tie in Game 4 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. On a routine bouncer hit back to him with the bases loaded he bobbled the ball and then decided to try to get the out at home, instead of first, and he skied the ball to the backstop, letting the game-winning run cross home.
The poor judgment and sloppy play were shocking and, yet, they shouldn’t have been.