Dodgers Punch Ticket to NLCS in Extra-Innings Thriller with Phillies

Members of the Dodgers celebrate on the field after eliminating the Phillies from the 2025 NLDS

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

October 9, 2025

Dodgers 2, Phillies 1 (11 innings)

The Los Angeles Dodgers have punched their ticket to the NLCS with a gritty Game Four win against the Philadelphia Phillies. The game was an extra-innings thriller, with both heavyweight lineups struggling to drive in runs. Dominant pitching from both sides kept the score low deep into the game. The decisive run came in heartbreaking fashion for the Phillies, as an errant throw home from reliever Orion Kerkering allowed Hyeseong Kim to score, sealing their fate.

Dodgers-Phillies Game Summary

Starters Trade Zeroes through Six

Both Tyler Glasnow and Cristopher Sanchez had amazing outings for their teams. Each pitcher navigated through the heart of the opposing lineup, avoiding costly mistakes and keeping the game scoreless through six innings. Neither offense found much rhythm to put anything together early.

Glasnow left the game with 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. Sanchez countered with a strong performance of his own, working 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.

Seventh-Inning Ends Scoreless Standoff

The Phillies struck first in the seventh after Emmet Sheehan replaced Glasnow. J.T. Realmuto started the inning with a single, and Max Kepler hit into a would-be double play, but Sheehan could not field the throw covering first, putting Kepler on second. Nick Castellanos took immediate advantage of this mistake with an RBI double to drive in Kepler and put the Phillies on the board.

The Dodgers responded fast in the next half-inning. An Alex Call single and subsequent walk of Kiké Hernandez led Phillies manager Rob Thomson to make a pitching change. Reliever Jhoan Duran took the mound in place of Sanchez. Dave Roberts made his own chess move by pinch-running Justin Dean for Call.

Andy Pages grounded out to first, advancing both runners in the process. This brought up Shohei Ohtani with two runners in scoring position. Though he has been struggling this series, the Phillies took no chances and intentionally walked him, preferring to face Mookie Betts with a force at any base.

Betts, showing great patience at the plate, worked a walk, and the tying run came in. However, Duran was able to avoid further damage, striking out Teoscar Hernandez to end the threat with the bases loaded.

Extra-Inning Showdown

Both relief units continued the trend of dominant pitching after the seventh, setting up a tense extra-innings finish. Duran, Matt Strahm, and Jesus Luzardo took care of business on the Phillies’ side, and Roki Sasaki threw three perfect innings of relief for the Dodgers.

In the 11th inning, the Dodgers punched their ticket to the NLCS. Tommy Edman hit a one-out single, and Kim came in to pinch-run. Max Muncy then came through with a two-out single, which brought the game-winning run 90 feet away from home. Thomson decided to make it a righty-righty matchup with Kiké at bat, replacing Luzardo with Kerkering.

After walking Hernandez, the game was now in Andy Page’s hands. Pages was 1-for-14 in the series, and the Dodgers desperately needed him to get a knock to end this series. He hit a shallow comebacker that Kerkering had trouble fielding. Instead of opting to throw to first, he threw home and overthrew Realmuto, sending the ball and the Phillies’ championship aspirations sailing.

What Went Wrong for the Dodgers

Offensive Struggles

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The Dodgers struggled to make anything happen for the majority of the game. They went 7-for-40 as a team, leaving 11 runners stranded. Ohtani’s bat was also still quiet in this match as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Despite Ohtani’s star power, the Phillies’ pitching staff kept him largely quiet for the majority of the series. He ended this series only recording one hit as the Dodgers’ leadoff batter.

They will need to see more production from him in the next series if they hope to contend against the pitching they’ll face next. Both the Cubs’ and the Brewers’ relief corps finished the season ranked in the top half of Sport Relay’s Team Relief Corps Power Rankings for the full season (Brewers 15th, Cubs 6th).

What Went Right for the Dodgers

Dominant Performance From Pitching Staff

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The Dodgers’ pitching staff was able to keep an explosive lineup from doing any damage, keeping the game close. Glasnow served up six scoreless innings. When the relievers gave up one run, Sasaki came in to toss three perfect innings and extinguish the Phillies’ lineup. The relief corps showed great composure and limited scoring opportunities to set the stage for the offense to take the game.

In a post-game conference, Dave Roberts had high praise for Sasaki, saying, ” I can’t speak enough to his growth and his contribution to this club. We’re starting to see something really special in him, and that’s why he was courted so hard in the offseason.”

Looking Ahead

After taking care of business at home, the Dodgers now await the results of the Brewers-Cubs series to see who their opponent will be in Game One of the NLCS on Monday, Oct. 13. They will also have to wait for the results to see where Game One will even be played — Milwaukee if the Brewers win, Dodger Stadium if the Cubs win.