Milwaukee Brewers slugger Rhys Hoskins made his much-anticipated return to Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Monday night.
The 31-year-old Hoskins spent the entirety of his professional career with the Phillies until he signed a free-agent pact with the Brewers in late January (one-year, $16 million with player options for 2025 and 2026). Hoskins was originally drafted by the Phillies with a fifth-round pick in 2012 out of Sacramento State. He made his big-league debut in 2017, and over the next seven seasons he tallied 148 home runs, 149 doubles, and a 125 OPS+ as a core member of the Phillies. Thirty of those home runs came with the 2022 Phillies team that advanced to the World Series.
To say the least, Hoskins remains a beloved figure in Philly:
Rhys Hoskins Phorever ❤️🥲#PLAYBALL pic.twitter.com/i5nCXJkypK
— Play Ball (@PlayBall) June 3, 2024
And he was no doubt expected an emotional first trip to the plate on Monday night:
Rhys Hoskins expects his first AB to be emotional
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) June 3, 2024
“I’m kind of a crier. I’ll probably cry at some point today. I think it just tells you about the energy and emotion I’ve been able to grab from this place.
“Hopefully they don’t have to stop the game because I’m crying too much”
As for that first plate appearance back at CPB, here's the reception:
What an ovation from the @Phillies faithful for Rhys Hoskins in his return to Philly! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/eznMNVsz2I
— MLB (@MLB) June 3, 2024
It's no surprise that it was an exceptionally warm reception, and that it meant a great deal to Hoskins. In the seventh inning, Hoskins made his return even more memorable when he cracked a home run off Zack Wheeler, his 10th home run of the season:
The perfect homecoming ❤️
— MLB (@MLB) June 4, 2024
Rhys Hoskins homers in his Philly return! pic.twitter.com/7KQSaFrRm6
Not secondary to all of this is that Monday's series opener (MIL-PHI GameTracker) marked the first 2024 meeting between two teams who have been the National League's best thus far. The Brewers came into this one with a record of 36-23 and the largest division lead in baseball (seven games over the second-place Cardinals). The Phillies, meanwhile, had an NL-best record of 41-19 and a hefty 6 ½-game lead over the Braves.
As for Hoskins, he's coming off a torn left ACL that cost him all of the 2023 season and has been a frontline producer for the Brewers. In 40 games this season coming into Monday night, Hoskins slashed .239/.339/.465 (128 OPS+) in 40 games – vintage Hoskins.
