In a game that had everything from dominant pitching duels to heart-stopping rallies and a game-ending blunder, the Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the National League Championship Series with a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. The walk-off win, capped by a throwing error in the bottom of the 11th, clinched the best-of-five series 3-1 for the Dodgers, who now await the winner of the Cubs-Brewers matchup in the NLCS.
TSN on X (formerly Twitter): “THE DODGERS WALK IT OFF AND MOVE ONTO THE NLCS 😳💪(via: @MLB)pic.twitter.com/BnA54rrAsm / X”
THE DODGERS WALK IT OFF AND MOVE ONTO THE NLCS 😳💪(via: @MLB)pic.twitter.com/BnA54rrAsm
The Dodgers, seeded as the top team in the National League after a stellar 98-win regular season, overcame a gritty Phillies squad that refused to go quietly. Philadelphia, making their fourth straight playoff appearance, roared back from a 2-0 deficit in the series with an 8-2 rout in Game 3 behind two home runs from Kyle Schwarber. But in this elimination showdown, it was Los Angeles’ resilience—and a bit of fortune—that prevailed.
From the opening pitch, Game 4 felt like a classic postseason chess match. Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, making his first start of the 2025 playoffs after a brief regular-season shutdown, was electric through six innings, scattering just two hits and three walks while fanning eight Phillies batters on a efficient 83 pitches. Facing him was Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez, who mirrored the dominance with four hits allowed, no walks, and five strikeouts over six scoreless frames.
The scoreless stalemate shattered in the top of the seventh. With Glasnow lifted for reliever Emmet Sheehan, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto singled, and outfielder Max Kepler grounded into what should have been a double play. But a mishandled throw by Sheehan on the relay allowed Kepler to reach second. Nick Castellanos followed with a sharp single to center, plating Kepler for a 1-0 Philadelphia lead—the lone blemish on the Dodgers’ ledger.
The Dodgers wasted no time responding. Sánchez walked the leadoff man in the bottom half, then yielded a single. With runners in scoring position, Phillies manager Rob Thomson called on closer Jhoan Duran to escape the jam. Duran got a groundout to advance the runners but then intentionally walked superstar Shohei Ohtani to load the bases and face Mookie Betts. The strategy backfired spectacularly: Betts drew a full-count walk, forcing home the tying run from third and knotting the game at 1-1.
Rookie sensation Roki Sasaki then took over for Los Angeles, delivering a masterclass in relief. The Japanese import retired the Phillies in order in the eighth and ninth on a mere 16 pitches, leaning on his unhittable splitter to whiff Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm. Duran matched him with a scoreless bottom of the eighth, but the game pushed into extras.
In the 10th, Sasaki handed off to Alex Vesia, who struck out Harrison Bader to end the top half. Jesús Luzardo, fresh off a strong Game 2 start, fanned Ohtani to start the Dodgers’ turn at bat. But the 11th proved fateful. Max Muncy pinch-hit a two-out single, and Andy Pages drew a walk to load the bases. Pages then grounded sharply to reliever Orion Kerkering, who fired home to try and nail the tying run. The throw sailed wide, allowing Muncy to score untouched for the 2-1 walk-off victory—and sending Dodger Stadium into a frenzy.
Betts’ bases-loaded walk was the pivotal moment, extending his postseason on-base streak to 12 plates. Ohtani, though hitless, loomed large with the intentional pass, while Pages earned game MVP honors for the Dodgers with the game-winning at-bat. Glasnow’s gem (6 IP, 0 ER) and Sasaki’s shutdown relief (3 IP, 0 H, 4 K) anchored a bullpen that bent but never broke.
For the Phillies, Castellanos’ RBI single provided a brief spark, but their offense managed just five hits total. Sánchez was sharp in defeat (6 IP, 1 ER), but Duran’s uncharacteristic control issues (1.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB) and Kerkering’s errant throw (his second error of the series) haunted Philadelphia. Schwarber, hero of Game 3, went 0-for-4.
This series win marks the Dodgers’ fourth straight NLDS victory dating back to 2024, positioning them as favorites to return to the World Series. They’ll host the NLCS starting Saturday, riding high on a roster blending veteran savvy (Freeman, Betts) with supernova talent (Ohtani, Sasaki).
The Phillies, meanwhile, head into an uncertain offseason after back-to-back NLDS exits. Their core—Harper, Realmuto, Castellanos—remains formidable, but questions swirl around their rotation depth and bullpen reliability.
As the fall classic heats up, one thing’s clear: The Dodgers are built for October, and they’re not slowing down anytime soon.
