Ranking Orion Kerkering Error vs. Dodgers and Worst Gaffes in MLB Playoff History

MLB postseason series are often best-of-seven, but this right here is a worst-of-seven ranking.

Errors. Blunders. Gaffes. Big boo boos. Whatever you call them, they happen in baseball. But when they happen in October—especially in potential elimination games—they get remembered forever.

Unfortunately for the Philadelphia Phillies and flame-throwing reliever Orion Kerkering, one of those unforgettable lightning bolts struck in Game 4 of the NLDS on Thursday.

Jayson Stark tweeted that it was the first case ever of a walk-off error ending a postseason series, however he was quickly corrected with reminders of the Donaldson Dash on which the Toronto Blue Jays finished off their sweep of the Texas Rangers in the 2016 ALDS. Definitely a rare occurrence, though, which probably has only happened twice in baseball history.

Where does it rank in all-time playoff ignominy?

We're glad you asked.

7. Willie Davis vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1966 World Series G2

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Willie Davis

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If you watched the first few innings of Thursday's game between the Phillies and Dodgers and thought the shadows were vicious at Dodger Stadium, get a load of the havoc the sun monster wrought on poor Willie Davis on this fateful day almost six decades ago.

With Game 2 of the 1966 World Series knotted in a scoreless draw in the top of the fifth inning, Baltimore's Paul Blair lifted a seemingly harmless fly ball to Davis in center. But the sun ate him up and he was unable to convert the basket catch when he finally located that can of corn.

The following batter, Andy Etchebarren popped out to Davis in center, but he once again could not locate the ball until it was too late. Not only did it carom off his glove, but he proceeded to launch the ball well over the head of the third baseman for an incredible hat trick of errors in the span of six pitches.

The sequence simply broke the Dodgers, who failed to score a single run over the course of their remaining 23 innings at the dish before getting swept out of the World Series for what is still the only time in franchise history.

6. Orion Kerkering vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 2025 NLDS G4

In defense of Orion Kerkering, those little comebackers can be the absolute worst.

If you've never pitched, they don't look like the worst. If anything, they look like one of the easiest plays possible. But just trust me on this one. The two primary positions I played in my heyday were pitcher and third base, and I would rather deal with a screaming one hopper at the hot corner than one of those baseball-inexplicably-bouncing-like-a-football slow grounders back to the mound.

But yes, absolutely, it's a play he should have been able to make.

It looked like he got ahead of himself and was already thinking about making sure not to Chuck Knoblauch a throw to first base and neglected to make sure he had the ball first. And when he had to scramble to secure the loose ball, he lost his marbles, made the wrong decision to come home with it and threw it horribly—though, Ha-Seong Kim beat the throw to the plate anyway.

Here's why it doesn't quite crack the top five, though: It was only the NLDS, it wasn't a loser-goes-home game, it didn't result in a blown lead and it had been feeling for a couple of hours like the Dodgers would inevitably win on a walk-off as the Phillies' only offense of the entire night came after—coincidentally enough—a brutal fielding error by Dodgers reliever Emmet Sheehan.

It was a cruel moment that shan't be soon forgotten, the cruelty magnified by the fact that it instantly eliminated what had been the World Series favorite from the postseason.

But we can go bigger.

5. Daniel Murphy vs. Kansas City Royals, 2015 World Series G4

Through the first three games of the 2015 World Series, the home team held serve. And though it was tight, it looked like the New York Mets were going to keep that trend going in Game 4.

Leading 3-2 in the top of the eighth inning, Tyler Clippard consecutively walked Ben Zobrist and Lorenzo Cain before getting replaced by closer Jeurys Familia. And Familia immediately did his job, getting Eric Hosmer to tap into what should have been an easy groundout to Daniel Murphy at second base.

But as Cain ran in front of Murphy on his way to second base, it seemed to mess up Murphy's rhythm. Trying to field an in-between hop, he just never got his glove down far enough and the ball scooted through into the outfield to bring home the game-tying run.

Two more singles followed and in the blink of an eye, the Mets were down by two runs; and shortly thereafter, by two games.

To make matters worse, Murphy's glove/law struck again the following night, booting a ground ball in the top of the 12th inning as the Royals ran away with a series-clinching victory.

4. Aaron Judge vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 2024 World Series G5

The fact that this one came courtesy of a surefire Hall of Famer really elevates its level of infamy.

Several players on this list are known almost exclusively for what was one of the most embarrassing, worst moments of their entire lives.

With Aaron Judge, though, we're talking about a multiple-time MVP who has never won a World Series...and at least partially has himself to blame for that.

Though Judge has never won a Gold Glove, he has been a mostly sure-handed outfielder throughout his career. We're talking a .993 fielding percentage during the regular season and what had been zero errors in the first 57 games of his postseason career.

But when Tommy Edman lifted a perfectly routine line drive to center field in the top of the fifth inning of Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, Judge simply flubbed it.

It sure looked like he had his eyes on Kiké Hernández at first base, trying to decide if he had danced far enough off the bag to potentially double up. He neglected to ensure that first out, though, jump-starting what turned into the inning from hell.

One batter later, Anthony Volpe tried to get a force out at third base but spiked a ball to Jazz Chisholm Jr. for another error. Gerrit Cole recovered with back-to-back strikeouts, but the Dodgers quickly poured on a game-tying five runs after what should have been the fourth out of the inning.

3. Alex Gonzalez vs. Florida Marlins, 2003 NLCS G6

Were it not for Alex Gonzalez, poor Steve Bartman would have lived a perfectly normal, anonymous life as a Chicago Cubs fan.

Bartman, of course, became infamous in the eighth inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. He interfered with Moises Alou's attempt to catch a foul ball into the left-field stands off the bat of Luis Castillo.

Kept alive in the AB by some rando wearing headphones and a turtleneck, Castillo subsequently walked. Iván Rodríguez followed with a clean single that scored Juan Pierre, cutting Chicago's lead over Florida to 3-1. But when Miguel Cabrera rolled over a tailor-made double play ball to Gonzalez at shortstop, the Cubs were going to be three outs away from the World Series.

Until Gonzalez booted it, that is.

The double play actually would have been quite close. Cabrera did have at least a little bit of sprint speed back when he was 20. But the force out at second was a sure thing that would have kept the inning from spiraling out of control. Instead, three more hits, two intentional walks and about one million camera cuts to Bartman later and the Cubs had allowed eight runs in an all-timer of a meltdown. (They proceeded to lose Game 7 the following night, too.)

Had the Cubs won a World Series in the previous 20 years or so, we might have forgotten all about it in due time. But they were 95 years into what ended up being a 108-year drought between World Series titles, so Bartman turned into a pariah until they finally flew the final W in 2016.

2. Tony Fernandez vs. Florida Marlins, 1997 World Series G7

Listen, you know which error is at No. 1, because it has been synonymous with baseball heartbreak for four decades.

But this one right here maybe should be No. 1.

It came in extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series, which has happened only three times in the past century. Moreover, both in 1991 (Twins-Braves) and 2016 (Cubs-Cleveland), said do-or-die game ended in the 10th inning. So for this 1997 (Marlins-Cleveland) error to occur in the 11th inning of Game 7 was some exceptionally rare history.

Craig Counsell's slow grounder to Tony Fernández with one on and one out in the bottom of the 11th was a play that gets made at least 99 times out of 100. Fernández was a four-time Gold Glove shortstop in his younger days and had manned second base with impeccable range throughout that regular season in Cleveland.

Maybe Bobby Bonilla's base-running screened Fernández a bit or simply caused him to lose focus, but the ball skipped under his glove, allowing Bonilla to get to third base.

Three batters later, Édgar Rentería drove Bonilla in for the World Series-winning walk-off.

Maybe the Marlins ultimately would've won regardless. But Fernández's gaffe played a big role in Cleveland's longest-active-in-MLB World Series drought that is now almost eight decades old.

1. Bill Buckner vs. New York Mets, 1986 World Series Game 6

The Boston Red Sox were one out away from breaking the Curse of the Bambino.

Leading 3-2 in the 1986 World Series and leading 5-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6, Calvin Schiraldi got the first two Mets hitters to fly out. But three consecutive singles and a wild pitch allowed New York to tie the game in advance of the five hole foible heard round the world.

You've seen it a million times.

Mookie Wilson's slow roller down the first-base line went right between Bill Buckner's legs. Ray Knight rounded third to score the walk-off run. And the Mets came back to win Game 7, too.

If Buckner's gaffe was fueled by concern that he might not beat Wilson to the bag, it was a warranted fear. Wilson had already stolen three bases in that series, swiped more than 200 bags to that point in his career and was booking it down the first-base line. MLB's most well-known error may well have been an infield single even if it had been fielded cleanly.

But when that happens to a franchise that had already been cursed for decades, it hits a whole lot harder.

It took more than two decades and the Red Sox winning World Series titles in both 2004 and 2007, but Buckner was welcomed back to Fenway Park in 2008 with a standing ovation.

Maybe one day Kerkering will get a similar hero's return to Citizens Bank Park a few Phillies World Series titles from now.