As Rhys Hoskins started his interview upon returning to Citizens Bank Park, a Brewers teammate remarked on the amount of press surrounding him. “Jesus Christ! Popular guy!”, the mystery teammate joked.
Hoskins, a fan favorite and clubhouse favorite, gave good reason for the media scrum over his 7 years as a Philadelphia Phillie. Playoff dramatics, 148 Phillies home runs, a kind heart, and endless dugout celebrations cemented him as one of Philadelphia’s favorites.
An Emotional Return for Rhys Hoskins
“I’m kind of a crier. I’ll probably cry at some point today,” said Hoskins on the emotions of Monday night’s return. “I think that just tells you all you need to know about the energy and emotion that I’ve been able to grab from this place over the last decade.”
That transfer of energy of emotion brought fans countless moments of Rhys’ character. From saluting the bullpen on a homer, freaking out on his teammates’ behalves in the dugout, and to a huge bat spike in the NLDS.
Rhys called that career moment an “eruption of emotion”. It was a moment over 10 years in the making as it was the 1st playoff game in Citizens Bank Park since 2011. That pent-up emotion from fans is what led to the crescendo off of Spencer Strider, according to Hoskins.
Off the field, Rhys and his wife Jayme spent their offseasons living in Philadelphia and experiencing everything the city had to offer.
“We never really spent much time in a big city like this. We ended up loving it so much that we stayed. It’s a great chapter of my life,” said Hoskins.
Unfortunately, the tale of Rhys Hoskins in Philadelphia ended on a sour note, tearing his ACL late in Spring Training. It didn’t sit right with Rhys.
“The ending didn’t match the rest of the time here,” Hoskins referring to his season-ending ACL injury. He was looking forward to playing in front of the fans in Philly again to be able to move on to the next chapter of his career.
Now with an anticipated crowd of over 40,000 Phillies fans, Rhys Hoskins gets to turn the page. The reaction is sure to be one of the loudest since Chase Utley’s return with the Dodgers.
The energy at CBP is sure to be Rhys Lightning in a bottle.
Welcome back Hoskins.
Photo Credit: Alec Kostival
