It almost felt like this Philadelphia Phillies team was set up for destiny, and that nothing was going to get in their way.
Maybe except for themselves though.
We all saw it. We saw the final play of the 11th inning of Game 4 in the NLDS, where the Los Angeles Dodgers had bases loaded and two outs.
Andy Pages hits a bloop grounder to Orion Kerkering that should’ve sent the Phils to the plate in the top of the 12th inning.
Kerkering has his eyes dead set on throwing to home since it’s right in front of him, but catcher J.T. Realmuto was pointing for Kerkering to throw to first base.
By then it was too late.
Kerkering had already made up his mind, and then changed it mid-throw, forcing the ball to go wide-left of Realmuto, and allowing Hye Seong Kim of the Dodgers to score.
It resulted in the end of the Phillies season – a season that had so much promise and so much potential.
Kyle Schwarber, who led the National League with 56 home runs, was especially heartbroken on the loss, believing that a World Series title was well within reach.
“It’s not about the last play, it’s not about that. Just that the group that we had, I felt like our group even though we went down two games… I felt really deep down in my heart that this was the team that was going to do it.”
And to many, it seemed awfully realistic.
The Phillies were a team that seemed like it had all the pieces. From the power that Schwarber had, to the all around play of Bryce Harper, to the quality hitting of Trea Turner, to the immaculate pitching of Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez.
But ultimately, the Phils ran into the juggernaut that’s the Los Angeles Dodgers – a franchise that hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2012, and a team that has made the World Series in four of those occasions.
Philadelphia had done everything right. It built a perennial contender, found the best free agents, retained its stars, had quality pitching, and performed at a consistent level all season long. But Los Angeles has done it at a higher level, and it’s just hard to replicate that kind of greatness.
It’s not a saying that Phillies fans won’t want to hear, but there is always next season. While other teams aim to reload and stay in contention, the Phils won’t have lost a step.
Reports have come out that Schwarber is ready to sign an extension, and if that happens, it’s only fair to assume that the Phillies make another deep run in the playoffs.