No one ‘deserves this moment more’ than Rhys Hoskins, the ‘soul’ of the Phillies

The Phillies' longest-tenured position player heard for years about October baseball in Philadelphia. Now he's living it, and his teammates couldn't be happier.

Rhys Hoskins hit four home runs against the Padres in the NLCS.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Matt Breen

Published Oct. 25, 2022, 9:50 a.m. ET

Rhys Hoskins used both hands Sunday night to wave the flag pole from left to right, right to left as he walked toward the cheering fans who gathered above the dugout. The Phillies were National League champions — four wins from a World Series title — and Hoskins had the flag to prove it.

The team’s longest-tenured position player, Hoskins felt the pain of four September collapses before enjoying the sting this October of four champagne celebrations in three weeks.

He reached the majors in August 2017, quickly ascending to be the face of the Phillies as their rebuilding process tried to gain traction. Hoskins answered the questions, shouldered the criticism, and was pulled in every direction by sponsors, marketing, and charity work.

Hoskins, from the day he first walked in the clubhouse, did everything. He carried the banner for the Phillies. And now he was carrying the flag.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t think anyone deserves this moment more than Rhys,” J.T. Realmuto said as the clubhouse celebration finally simmered. “He’s been through so much with this team from start to finish. He’s had his ups. He’s had his downs. He’s always the same guy no matter what’s going on. No matter if the fans are booing him, the media is giving him a tough time, he’s always there answering questions. And he’s the same guy when he’s doing well. He just believes in himself and believes in this team.”

The Phillies were desperate in the summer of 2017 for something to cling to. They lost 99 games two years earlier, had not made the postseason in six years, and no longer had a Jimmy, Ryan, Chase or Cole to fill the seats. Attendance was down and interest was meek. Then came Hoskins.

He homered in his fifth game and homered 11 times in a 14-game stretch before becoming the fastest player to reach 18 homers. There was a buzz. After plenty of failed prospects, the Phillies finally had something. The Phils were still bad — they lost 96 times in 2017 and finished 31 games out of first place — but at least they had someone to dream on.

Hoskins hit that summer between Nick Williams and Maikel Franco. The rotation included Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin along with Jerad Eickhoff, Vince Velasquez, Nick Pivetta, and Mark Leiter Jr. Hoskins’ home-run barrage — they called it “Rhys Lightning” — allowed the next contending Phillies team to feel closer than it was.

It took time, three more managers, a new front office, and the arrival of players like Realmuto, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber for that to become a reality. Until then, Hoskins did whatever he was asked.

“Rhys is a tremendous player but an even better person,” said John Middleton, the Phillies managing partner. “He’s great in the clubhouse. He’s great on the bench. He’s great with the fans. In some ways, he’s the soul of the team. You need a heart and you need a soul. He really is. … He’s everything. All the stuff he does with charity, he’s great.”

Hoskins stayed in Philadelphia after his first full season, living in Fishtown during the offseason with his now-wife Jayme. He didn’t know much about the city before arriving here. So Hoskins, instead of returning home to Northern California, immersed himself.

He went to Eagles games, worked out by himself at Citizens Bank Park, took his dog to the park, sat in coffee shops, and tried to understand the fabric of the city. Hoskins invested.

“Hearing those little sayings, walking down the street like ‘Next year is our year’ and ‘We believe in you guys.’ It’s just a special place to be,” Hoskins said. “I’m just so stoked for the city. Obviously, we work as hard as we do, but these people live and die with us. They carry us when we need them and they give us a little tap on the butt when we also need that. It’s amazing. These last couple weeks, you really felt what this city is about. To be able to come through for them is huge.”

It was that investment that allowed Hoskins to ride the wave this month that is Philadelphia. A defensive misplay proved costly in Game 2 of the National League Division Series and Hoskins received a mixed reaction when the team returned home for Game 3. But Hoskins didn’t mind as he said he’s a fan, too.

He crushed a three-run homer in his second at-bat of Game 3 of the NLDS, emphatically spiking his bat to the ground, seeming to release the frustrations he shared with the fans as they waited together to finally feel moments like this. The emotion, Hoskins said, was raw. He had heard for years about October baseball in Philadelphia. Now he was living it.

“Rhys Hoskins is Mr. Philly,” Eflin said. “He’s been here for six years. I really don’t have enough good things to say about him. It’s hard to put into words. He shows up every day prepared and ready for everything. He answers questions. He’s there in the good moments. He’s there in the hard moments. And he’s pulled through for us so many times. It’s been so much fun watching him in the playoffs and have all of these big at-bats and coming through. He’s put this team on his back a few times and it’s paid off. We’re going to the World Series.”

“This organization is the one that believed in me and gave me an opportunity to impact the city of Philadelphia in any way,” Hoskins said. “There’s been a lot of people who have had a lot of hands in this going back since I got drafted, but definitely since I got here in 2017. A lot of people that aren’t here that put in work, laid the groundwork for the people that are here to succeed, to dream, and to win.”

Hoskins said he didn’t mind handling those off-the-field duties as it allowed his teammates to stay focused on the game. He’s no longer the face of the team but just one of the faces. There are Harper, Realmuto, Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Nola, and others.

The clubhouse this season has changed — “It just looks so different” from the room Hoskins walked into five years ago. The Phillies no longer need him to carry the banner by himself. But after six seasons of doing whatever was needed, Hoskins is more than deserving of waving the flag.

“When I was playing against him, he was hitting homer after homer so it was all good,” said Realmuto, who played for the Marlins when Hoskins debuted. “But then when you see somebody struggle, have moments where fans are tough on you, that’s when you see someone’s true colors.

“In my opinion, that’s where he shined the brightest. He never got down. He was always the same guy day in and day out, no matter what he was going through. That’s something that everyone strives to be.”