Subscribe
Follow Us
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins made his return to Citizens Bank Park when the Brewers battled his former Philadelphia Phillies squad on Monday night, and it resulted a rather emotional evening for the slugger.
Hoskins actually homered in his first visit to Philadelphia since signing with Milwaukee this past offseason, but the Brewers ended up falling by a score of 3-1.
The 31-year-old, who said before the game that he is “kind of a crier,” was able to hold his emotions in check for his first plate appearance, which resulted in a pop out.
“I think I was able to reel it in a little bit, got right into the at-bat,” Hoskins said, via ESPN. “I guess there's something about competing against the people you know that makes you lock in a little bit. But also, the guy on the mound [Wheeler] was pretty good tonight, so you better do that, or you're probably not going to have too much of a chance.”
Hoskins received a standing ovation from the Phillies fans and tipped his cap to acknowledge the crowd.
Philadelphia opted not to re-sign Hoskins over the winter due to the fact that the club was moving Bryce Harper to first base.
“He's a man's man,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He's honest. He has a lot of integrity. He cares about other people. He's a really talented player, obviously. He plays the game the right way and plays it hard. He's just a pro's pro.”
Rhys Hoskins has fit right in with the Brewers
Hoskins has a been a major part of the Brewers' offense over the first couple of months of the 2024 campaign.
Article Continues Below
In 41 games, Hoskins has slashed .243/.345/.486 with 10 home runs and 28 RBI, and that is in spite of missing a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. As a matter of fact, his homer on Monday evening was his first since May 11.
The Sacramento, Ca. native, who played his collegiate baseball at California State, was originally selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
He made his big-league debut in 2017, slashing .259/.396/.618 with 18 dingers and 48 RBI across 212 plate appearances. The following year, Hoskins achieved career highs in 34 long balls and 96 RBI while slashing .246/.354/.496.
Hoskins then led the National League with 116 walks in 2019.
He was very consistent throughout his tenure in Philly, only registering an OPS below .800 once (he recorded an OPS of .794 in 2022). A torn ACL knocked Hoskins out for all of 2023, robbing him of what would have represented his final season in the City of Brotherly Love.
Hoskins managed to smash 30 homers twice during his time with the Phillies.
The Brewers' offense has been one of baseball's best this season. It ranks third in batting average, fourth in OPS, seventh in home runs and second in runs scored. Hoskins has obviously been a significant part of that.
Milwaukee fell to 36-24 with its loss to Philadelphia on Monday. However, the Brewers still sit seven games in front of the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central. They are aiming to win their second straight division title and their fourth division crown since 2018 overall.
