There’s losing a playoff series… and then there’s losing a playoff series, the kind that doesn’t just sting—it sticks with you through the entire offseason. That’s where the Phillies are right now.
Not just because they fell short in Game 4 of the NLDS, but because the way it unfolded leaves behind a trail of frustration, disbelief, and yes, one missed strike call that might haunt the clubhouse until spring training.
Cristopher Sanchez was absolutely dealing. For 6 1/3 innings, he kept a stacked Dodgers lineup in check, gave up just one run, and looked every bit like a playoff ace. And yet, that one run? It comes with baggage.
Because right before it happened, Sanchez fired a 97-mph sinker on a 2-2 count to Alex Call that *clearly* clipped the inside corner. It was a strike. Everybody saw it—except home plate umpire Mark Wegner.
The call was ruled a ball. Sanchez looked stunned. Catcher J.T. Realmuto almost casually went to throw to third, as if the inning was over, before realizing the call hadn’t gone their way.
A few pitches later, Call walked, Enrique Hernandez singled, and Sanchez was out of the game. Moments later, Call came around to score the tying run. And the wheels started coming off.
After the game, Sanchez revealed Wegner apologized. He knew he missed it. Let that sink in. A season, a playoff run, a pitcher’s gem—all tainted by a call that never should have been missed.
Now, it wasn’t just the blown call. Philadelphia’s offense went ice cold. One base runner over the final four innings isn’t going to cut it in October. And the 11th inning? That’s where things went from bad to worse. After loading the bases, rookie Orion Kerkering made a decision that might end up in the team’s postseason blooper reel—an ill-advised throw that opened the door for the Dodgers to walk it off.
Rob Thomson didn’t sugarcoat it. “It’s like your entire world comes to a stop,” he said. “Just a thud.”
And that thud? It’s the sound of a season full of promise collapsing under the weight of one missed call, one bad throw, and one silent bat after another.
