Baseball fans, brace yourselves for a thrilling tale of clutch plays and postseason drama! The Los Angeles Dodgers just secured a heart-stopping walk-off victory in Game 4 of the NLDS, eliminating the Philadelphia Phillies and punching their ticket to the NLCS. But here's where it gets controversial: was this win a testament to the Dodgers' resilience, or did the Phillies simply let it slip away? Let’s dive into the details.
In a game that kept viewers on the edge of their seats, the Dodgers emerged victorious with a 2-1 win in 11 innings. The hero of the night? Andy Pages, who delivered the game-winning play with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 11th. His grounder to pitcher Orion Kerkering resulted in a costly throwing error, allowing the winning run to score. It’s moments like these that remind us why baseball is a game of inches—and nerves.
Starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow was nothing short of dominant, pitching six shutout innings while striking out eight batters. The Phillies managed just two hits and three walks against him, but they couldn’t capitalize. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ offense was relatively quiet, scraping together only seven hits in 11 innings. And this is the part most people miss: even two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani struggled, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and an intentional walk. His postseason woes have become a topic of heated debate—is the pressure getting to him, or is this just a temporary slump?
On the Phillies’ side, Cristopher Sanchez continued his stellar postseason, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing just one run. This marked his second strong outing against the Dodgers, following his Game 1 performance where he gave up only one run in 5.2 innings. Yet, it wasn’t enough to keep Philadelphia in the series.
The game remained scoreless through the first six innings until the Phillies finally broke through—thanks to a Dodgers error. J.T. Realmuto singled, and Max Kepler’s dribbler down the first base line turned chaotic when reliever Emmet Sheehan mishandled the throw, allowing Kepler to advance to second. Nick Castellanos then doubled, scoring Kepler for the Phillies’ lone run. The Dodgers tied it in the seventh when reliever Jhoan Duran walked in Justin Dean, who was pinch-running for Alex Call.
Reliever Roki Sasaki was lights-out for the Dodgers, retiring nine straight Phillies batters across three innings, including stars like Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm. Philadelphia threatened in the top of the 11th with Harper on second, but Alex Vesia struck out Harrison Bader in a grueling 10-pitch at-bat to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 11th, the Dodgers loaded the bases with singles and walks, setting the stage for Pages’ walk-off heroics. Now, the Dodgers advance to face either the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, with Ohtani slated to start Game 1. Speaking of Ohtani, his postseason struggles have sparked intense discussions. Can he bounce back and prove his worth on the biggest stage? Or will his shortcomings continue to haunt the Dodgers?
Here’s the burning question: Is Shohei Ohtani’s postseason performance a cause for concern, or is it too early to write him off? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s keep the debate alive! For more Dodgers updates, head over to Dodgers on SI (https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers).
