Everything seems to be going right for the Philadelphia Phillies down the final stretch of the regular season.
They're on the verge of clinching back to back playoff appearances, sitting comfortably on top of the NL Wild Card standings.
One thing the Phillies wanted to see is how one of their top prospects would do at the Major League level.
Prior to their weekend series against the New York Mets, Philadelphia promoted Orion Kerkering after one game at their Triple-A affiliate.
It's been a fast ascension for the No. 7 ranked prospect in their pipeline.
Kerkering is in his second year of professional baseball and his first full season after being selected in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He started this year at the Single-A level and worked his way up to The Bigs.
On Sunday, the 22-year-old reliever made his MLB debut and was dominant.
Manager Rob Thomson brought in the right hander during the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead. Kerkering didn't allow a single hit and struck out two batters in his first MLB action.
His stuff is one of the main reasons why he's climbed through the pipeline so quickly this season. Over 52 2/3 innings pitched in the minor leagues, he recorded 79 strikeouts. That's roughly 1.48 strikeouts per inning to go along with his 1.51 cumulative ERA.
The Phillies' bullpen started to struggle down the stretch so adding another arm like his to the mix should ensure they hold onto their Wild Card spot if he's able to perform well.
After his first appearance, the reviews are beyond positive, looking like his stuff will easily translate to the highest level of baseball.
Now, there's a real chance that Kerkering will be a big part of the bullpen during postseason play.
Pretty remarkable considering where he started the season.
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