Orion Kerkering committed one of those highly painful mistakes during the postseason, but Philadelphia Phillies fans can now hear how he has processed it, and it appears he is determined to learn from it to ensure it does not happen again in the upcoming season.
“I think it’s just kind of… I gotta flip the script for this year, and just kind of learn from it. I think it’s always that same mistake where it’s like… you always see it like, like if you have had a test or something in school or something, you’re like, all right, I gotta do something better to flip the whole grade around or I can’t let this one bad test like ruin the whole semester grade of it. So I think that’s how it just feel right now with it.”
It was a clear and candid statement from Kerkering, shared by NBC Sports Philadelphia on X. He appears to be using that costly mistake as a learning moment, hoping it helps him mature and sharpen his defense with the Phillies.
Was Kerkering fully to blame?
Phillies fans quickly reacted to Kerkering’s comments about the costly mistake against the Dodgers. Some pointed out that other players deserved more of the blame, citing the team’s lack of offensive production in a game that remained tied 1–1 for far too long.
“It was not his fault. The big money boys did not hit. This game should have been won earlier and Kerk should not have been in there,” wrote Mojo (@ddnags20) on X, defending the young pitcher. Meanwhile, Zedd (@trust_the_paind) added: “Really hope the media/fans don’t dog him for that… he’s a young guy with potential. Hope he shakes it off.”
Phillies fans are now hoping the bullpen will be far more reliable than in past MLB seasons. In addition to Kerkering, the relief corps is expected to feature arms such as Jhoan Durán, Brad Keller, José Alvarado, Jonathan Bowlan, and Tanner Banks.
