LOS ANGELES — When Orion Kerkering's ill-fated throw home in Game 4 of the 2025 National League Division Series sailed toward disaster at Dodger Stadium, it felt as if the Dodgers' path to a second consecutive World Series title had suddenly become inevitable.
For the Philadelphia Phillies, meanwhile, the loss raised two lingering questions that hung over the franchise throughout the offseason.
Could they have won the World Series?
And was this the end of an era in South Philadelphia?
The second question was answered quickly.
When Kyle Schwarber re-signed with Philadelphia on a five-year, $150 million contract during the offseason, it signaled that the Phillies weren't ready to tear anything down. Instead, they chose continuity, bringing back the core that has helped keep them among the National League's contenders for the better part of four seasons.
On Friday night, Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and the rest of the Phillies return to Dodger Stadium for the first time since that crushing postseason exit.
But despite the playoff rematch storyline, both teams enter the series in very different places than they were seven months ago.
Philadelphia's 2026 season began in disastrous fashion. Injuries, inconsistent offense and a sluggish start put the Phillies in an early hole, leading to the firing of manager Rob Thomson on April 28 and the promotion of Don Mattingly to interim manager.
Yet the Phillies have slowly climbed back into contention.
After completing a sweep of the San Diego Padres earlier this week, Philadelphia enters the weekend at 29-27, just two games above .500 but trending in the right direction. Under Mattingly, the Phillies have gone 20-8 and are beginning to resemble the club that reached the postseason in each of the previous four years.
"I think everything's kind of big for us right now, just because of the way we started," Turner said after Wednesday's victory in San Diego.
While Turner acknowledged the significance of facing the two-time defending World Series champions, the Phillies appear far more focused on fixing the issues that plagued them during March and April than seeking any form of revenge for last October.
After all, Mattingly wasn't even in the dugout for that playoff collapse.
"Obviously, the Dodgers, being the world champions the last two years, they're going to bring plenty of trouble for us," Mattingly said. "We just got to play good baseball and take care of our own business."
That's exactly what the Phillies have done over the past month.
Their starting rotation has stabilized, the lineup has begun producing more consistently, and the confidence that seemed absent early in the season has returned.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, continue to look every bit like a team capable of making another deep postseason run.
Los Angeles enters the series riding a five-game winning streak after sweeping its most recent opponent. The Dodgers have weathered injuries throughout the first two months of the season and once again demonstrated the organizational depth that has made them baseball's model franchise.
That depth will be tested again with Teoscar Hernández headed to the injured list, but manager Dave Roberts isn't concerned about finding replacements.
"Not many teams can afford to sit Kyle Tucker in a close ballgame and give him a full night's rest," Roberts said Wednesday. "That just speaks to the depth."
A month ago, this series might have felt like little more than a footnote on the schedule despite the postseason history between the clubs. Philadelphia looked lost, and the Dodgers appeared destined to cruise through the regular season.
Now, the matchup carries a different level of intrigue.
With the Phillies playing their best baseball of the season and relying on the elite starting pitching that has become their trademark, the Dodgers will get a glimpse of the type of competition they could very well encounter again in October.
For Philadelphia, however, this series isn't about last year's NLDS heartbreak.
It's about determining whether its recent resurgence is real.
"It's a good test to see where you're at," Turner said.
This weekend, the Phillies will find out.