The top of the eighth inning of a save opportunity against the Mets on Sunday night was the Phillies’ choice for reliever prospect Orion Kerkering’s big-league debut.
The Mets’ bottom of the lineup was faced one, two, three times by Kerkering, who retired Omar Narvaez on a grounder to third base before striking out Brett Baty & Rafael Ortega on the swish.
The left-handed Baty swung over and around the back-foot slider for the first out. Because of his 98-99 mph fastball and one of the best sliders in the minors, 22-year-old Kerkering was so dominant this season that he received four promotions in less than six months.
Over the course of 50 outings at five different levels, 44 of them were scoreless, and he has a 1.48 ERA, 81 strikeouts, and 12 walks.
Manager Rob Thomson remarked, “We knew the material was electric and it really is. “His pitch is the slider, but his fastball is also pretty darn excellent, so you can’t get comfortable on that either. The biggest concern with men coming up here is how they would cope with the situation. How will they deal with the third deck, the 40,000 spectators in the stands, and the fervor in the city? And he didn’t even appear to be perspiring while out there.
You can’t tell till they arrive, but those are the reports, and he was really something.
As a rookie, Kerkering is in a very intriguing position to support the Phillies bullpen in the postseason. Why wouldn’t he be on the playoff roster, barring a catastrophe? He is having a great year and already has a big-league arsenal. Dylan Covey, Yunior Marte, or Kerkering might be the ones to make the choice.
You never know what’s going to happen, so just keep doing what you’re doing, Kerkering advised. “Everyone says I’ve got big-league stuff, so just keep believing in yourself and putting your trust in it,”
At Citizens Bank Park for the unforgettable evening, “seven or eight” members of Kerkering’s family and friends were present. Throughout the entire top of the eighth inning, his father sobbed with pride.
Being in Philadelphia is undoubtedly one of the nicest feelings imaginable, according to Kerkering. “I had to give him a hug and take photos. It was a genuine moment that was great. Everyone was crying, I could hear. Can’t complain because it’s great for TV.
Sliders made up all five pitches Kerkering delivered to strike out Narvaez. He made a total of 12 pitches, including two 99 mph fastballs and 10 sliders. He claimed there wasn’t something new and that throughout 2023, he had been mixing in a high-90s heater while throwing primarily sliders.
The nerves vanished after he got used to hearing his name called in a major league stadium and the clamor of the fans, according to Kerkering.
But he was taken aback by how enthused the more than 41,000 spectators were about his maiden performance in Philadelphia.
“I wouldn’t have thought they’d be cheering as loud or be as ready and excited for me,” he remarked of the crowd’s volume. I couldn’t be more fortunate that everyone trusted me and was prepared to move on.