‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Orion Kerkering on entertaining his bullpen mates, being coached by Roy Halladay, and more
Kerkering, who recorded his first major league save on June 16, sat down with The Inquirer to discuss the rush of pitching in the ninth inning, among other topics.
Close your eyes and imagine the Phillies are one out from winning a postseason series.
Now, which pitcher do you see on the mound?
As it stands, Orion Kerkering is among the top late-inning options for manager Rob Thomson. And even as the front office seeks help for the bullpen before the July 31 trade deadline, the 24-year-old righty figures to remain in the mix to get the final outs of big games down the stretch.
» READ MORE: One-stop shopping at the trade deadline: Three teams that could be a match for Phillies’ biggest needs
Kerkering recorded his first major league save June 16 in Miami, then closed out another game three nights later. Last week, he sat down with Phillies Extra, the baseball interview show from The Inquirer, to discuss the rush of pitching the ninth inning, what it was like being coached by the late Roy Halladay, and more.
Here’s an excerpt from our conversation, which has been edited for clarity and brevity. Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Q: Is there a different adrenaline rush coming in for the ninth inning? How does it compare to, say, coming in in the seventh inning in Atlanta to face Orlando Arcia, Sean Murphy, and Eddie Rosario with a 2-0 lead in Game 1 of the division series in 2023?
A: I would say I probably had a lot more nerves during that seventh inning than I did in Miami [for his first career save]. Not because of the talent level and the difference of the higher-level situations ... I think Atlanta was a tie ballgame in the seventh inning. But I think it was just more of that second week of [being] in the big leagues and that, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening?’ And then [the pressure is] even higher that it’s in the postseason, still trying to figure stuff out. So, I think I definitely had more nerves then in that seventh inning than I did down in Miami.
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Q: We talk about dramatic closer entrances all the time. Edwin Diaz in New York, everybody goes crazy with the song and the trumpets. Do guys think about what kind of entrance they want to make when they finally get the opportunity to close?
A: I think it’s really hard for guys to say no to that. I think every guy thinks about that at some point, whether it’s when they were a kid or coming up [to the majors] at a young age like I did. I think it’s just kind of that cool mentality with all these different guys. Edwin Díaz, [Jhoan] Durán … Mason Miller’s got a couple cool ones. When [the Athletics] actually get a good ballpark to actually do it, I think it’ll be pretty cool. I’m sure [Aroldis] Chapman’s probably got something sick like that. So, guys who’ve been around the league for a long time obviously have some cool stuff. So I think it’s kind of hard not to say I haven’t thought about it before. If it’s hopefully going to that closer role later [in his] career then I think it’ll be one thing I figure out here soon.
Q: Growing up, you played travel ball in Florida with Roy Halladay’s son, Braden, and Roy coached some of the pitchers. … As a player, Roy was so wedded to his routine as a pitcher. He was all business. Did you see a different side of him than maybe we did as reporters who covered him?
A: For sure. Yeah, I think it was more, I was trying to have more fun than trying to figure out the routines of it. He was like, ‘Do what you do best.’ Kind of like how we talk to ourselves when we’re out there and when we’re struggling. It’s like, we’re here for a reason. Just keep doing what you keep doing. ‘You’re here, just keep pitching, we’ll be OK. We’ll get out of this situation.’ So I think it’s definitely a different atmosphere to see how crafted he was and how specific he was and what he needs to get done. So it’s kind of cool to see it that way, where it was just almost a 180 of how he was out there [compared to] when talking to a 14-year-old.
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Q: Your sweeper is one of the best of its kind in the whole sport. When did you realize that this was an extraordinary weapon for you?
A: Probably like 16 to 18 [years old], like junior year, senior year of high school. That’s when I started to learn a little bit more. Like 15 going on 16, it’s trying to figure it out still. And then from 16 to 18, really make sure I’ve got it clicked down, basically. I used to throw it anywhere, anytime, get guys out with it. I think that’s when it finally fully clicked, for sure.
Q: Jeff Hoffman said on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast that you are the most entertaining guy he’s shared a bullpen with. That’s the word he used: entertaining. Can you give us an example of what makes you so entertaining?
A: I think it was just that I was still the kid and everyone in the bullpen last year besides me had kids. So I was basically like their kid and just kind of like being dorky or trying to be funny or trying to lighten the mood because all of us are just trying to be out there and enjoy each other and just talk. And then, I’ll just be kind of doing something stupid and silly, just kind of like bring up a weird conversation just to start or like an icebreaker almost or just have a random conversation about something. So it just kind of makes it fun.