New Brewer Hoskins won’t ever forget Philly
PHOENIX – Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins knows that March 23 is approaching, and the reminders will be painful.
It will be the one-year anniversary of the worst day of his professional career, when Hoskins ruptured his ACL, dramatically altering his fate, as well as the season for the Philadelphia Phillies.
It was a routine bouncer from Austin Meadows in the second inning of a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers. Hoskins backpedaled. The ball caromed off his glove. Hoskins collapsed, grabbing his left knee. He rolled over twice. Was carted off the field.
He had season-ending surgery one week later.
“That was absolutely heartbreaking,” says Texas Rangers outfielder Travis Jankowski, Hoskins’ former teammate with Philadelphia. “He’s such a great dude. One of my all-time teammates. You know, it’s never a good time for that to happen, but going into your free agency, man, that’s tough. If not for that injury, I thought he’d be a Phillie for life.”
Hoskins tried to come back, desperately trying to be ready if the Phillies reached the World Series. Instead, he was left sitting in the clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, hanging out late into the night with his teammates for a final time after a stunning, 4-2 loss in Game 7 to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League championship series.
“You know, that was the first Game 7 I’ve ever been part of,” Hoskins tells USA TODAY Sports, “and I didn’t even get to be a part of it. There was some reality. I knew it could be the last time I’m in this stadium as a home player. It was intense, and emotional, just the unknown of what was to come with my future.”
A beloved teammate and fan favorite who had been with the Phillies longer than any other position player, Hoskins was about to become a free agent for the first time. He didn’t know what the Phillies had in mind, but he was realistic.
He popped into Citizens Bank Park several times in the next 10 days, let his dog run around the outfield, savoring all the beautiful memories, before heading home to Sacramento for the offseason.
A week later, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski telephoned Hoskins two days before qualifying offers for free agents were due. Dombrowski thanked him for everything he did for the organization but informed him that he was no longer needed. They were giving his first base job to Bryce Harper, who learned to play the position the final three months of the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
“He was transparent with me,” Hoskins says, “which I really appreciated at the time, wondering what was going to happen. I knew it could go either way.”
Finding his way to Milwaukee
Hoskins, 30, a candidate to get a long-term contract extension before the 2023 season, now was trying to get a job, hoping teams would look past the injury. He had averaged 30 homers and 83 RBI with a .846 OPS in his previous four full seasons. Hoskins ranked 12th in homers (148) and among the top 10% in on-base percentage (.353), slugging percentage (.492) and OPS.
The Brewers, badly in need of a power-hitting first baseman, proved to be the perfect match. They came with the ideal contract to protect both sides. The Brewers guaranteed $34 million over two years, providing Hoskins an opt-out after the 2024 season if he believes he’s worth more than the $18 million guaranteed in 2025, along with an $18 million mutual option in 2026.
“A chance to win and getting to the playoffs was first and foremost for me,” Hoskins says. “I got a taste of that in 2022 with the Phils, really for the first time. It’s why you play the game. It’s just different playing in the playoffs and getting to experience that.
“Also, I’m just excited to have some sort of new adventure. That was enticing to me. It’s a great group here. You can tell some of these guys have played together for a long time just by the way they’re interacting. That’s pretty easy to be part of. It’s really been awesome.”
The Brewers have had a revolving door at first base since Prince Fielder departed as a free agent after the 2011 season. It’s Hoskins’ turn.
“We just haven’t had a solid reliable first base option,” general manager Matt Arnold says. “Some of them have shown flashes, but to be able to access somebody like Rhys Hoskins was really exciting for us. We’ve been trying to get someone like this in the middle of our lineup for quite a while.”
Brotherly love with the city
This is a guy who was the heart and soul of the Phillies, and really the Philadelphia community. He and his wife, Jayme, lived in Philadelphia during the past four winters. They were deeply involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, volunteers with different charities, and embraced the vibrancy and passion of Philadelphia.
“We love Philadelphia and wanted to be part of that community,” Hoskins says. “The biggest thing for me is that we have such a platform and a forum to have conversations to make a difference. The city rallied around us so much at the stadium, I think it’s only right that we try to make some sort of impact in the community that’s supporting us.”
The affair skyrocketed Oct. 14, 2022, in Game 3 of the NL division series.
Hoskins, who was badly struggling, sent Atlanta ace Spencer Strider’s fastball into orbit for a three-run homer. He took a few steps, spiked the bat into the dirt, and danced around the bases as fans screamed into the night.
“I don’t know if people will ever let me forget that one,” Hoskins says, breaking into a grin. “That type of moment is what the postseason is all about. There’s a ton of raw emotion there, obviously from me, and also from the dugout, people in the stands.”
If truth be told, Hoskins says his favorite memory of that postseason was his 424-foot, three-run homer off Padres ace Yu Darvish in Game 5 of the NLCS, clinching the Phillies’ first World Series appearance since 2009. He wound up hitting six home runs with 12 RBI in the postseason, including four homers in the NLCS.
A belated goodbye in Philly
His new crew in Milwaukee knows him as “Pee Wee,” a nickname courtesy of Brewers manager Pat Murphy. “Pee Wee Rhys, get it?” Murphy says. Pee Wee Reese, the Hall of Fame shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers, was 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds.
Hoskins, who is 6-4 and 240 pounds, laughs, hoping that his bond with Phillies fans means he won’t hear “Pee Wee” chants when the Brewers visit June 3-5 at Citizens Bank Park.
“It’s a special place,” he says. “There were a lot of frustrating years in there, and now what you’re seeing is a lot of pent-up emotion from those fans cheering on their team. They’re pretty easy to root for with the type of players they have on their team. That’s why the city has rallied around them like they have.
“I accomplished a lot of life things there, so it will be different when I go back, but it’s going to be great, too.”
It will be a chance for Hoskins to say goodbye.