Phillies rookie has enjoyed epic rise
ATLANTA >> Orion Kerkering doesn’t seem to notice the difference.
Six months ago, he was pitching before a few thousand fans in the Florida State League.
Now, on baseball’s biggest stage, he’s tossing crucial innings out of the bullpen for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Surely it must seem a bit overwhelming?
Nah.
“Just kind of go with it,” Kerkering said nonchalantly. “Be where you’re at. Kind of have fun with it.”
The 22-year-old righthander’s speedy climb from Class A has been on prominent display in the first two rounds of the postseason.
Kerkering, a fifth-round draft pick from South Florida
in 2022, breezed through a scoreless inning in the seriesclinching win over Miami in the wildcard round.
He produced another 1-2-3 frame against the big-hitting Atlanta Braves in a 3-0 victory to start the NL Division Series.
Just like that, the kid who started the season pitching for the Clearwater Threshers has become an integral member of a deep, hard-throwing bullpen that could set up another lengthy playoff run for the Phillies.
“He’s a stud,” teammate Aaron Nola said. “His stuff is electric. His fastball, his slider, obviously everybody knows. He looks like he’s been here for five years. He doesn’t look like he gets overwhelmed on the mound. He’s got a lot of confidence, and you can see that.”
A quick recap of Orion rising through the Phillies’ farm system:
• Kerkering’s season began with nine dominant appearances for Class A Clearwater, where he hurled 10 1/3 scoreless innings, allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out 18.
• After a promotion to Jersey Shore of the HighA South Atlantic League, it was more of the same. Kerkering worked 20 1/3 innings over 18 games, surrendering four runs and 13 hits, with six walks and 27 strikeouts.
• As the summer heated up, Kerkering kept moving up. His numbers at Reading of the Double-A Eastern League continued to
Keckering impress: 21 appearances, 22 innings, five runs, five walks and 33 strikeouts.
• There was time before the end of the minor league season to throw one scoreless inning for Lehigh Valley of the Triple-A International League. That gave Kerkering a dazzling cumulative line of 49 games, 53 2/3 innings, a 4-1 record, 14 saves, a 1.51 ERA, 12 walks and 79 strikeouts.
The Phillies had seen enough.
With 10 days left in the regular season and Philadelphia closing in on a wild-card berth, he was called up to the big leagues. He fit right in. Kerkering picked up his first MLB win, allowed only a single unearned run in three appearances, and showed off his dominant repertoire with six strikeouts.