The Philadelphia Phillies welcomed in the Washington Nationals for a four-game series this weekend. It was a very lopsided series as the Phillies came away with a sweep. It was a big weekend for their pitching and offense. The biggest story from their offensive onslaught was first baseman Rhy Hoskins who officially broke out his power bat.
Let’s take a look at what he accomplished.
Game One
On Thursday the rain came down in bunches in Philadelphia. Hoskins brought the thunder.
After the Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first the Phillies aimed to rebound quickly. Hoskins came up with one out and nobody on. On the second pitch of the at-bat, he blasted a ball into the left-field seats for a solo homer.
He also recorded an RBI single in the third inning that started a big four-run inning.
His two big hits helped the Phillies claim a 5-4 victory in a shortened five-inning game ended by rain.
Game Two
Friday’s game belonged to the Phillies from the very beginning.
The bottom of the first inning began with a bit of deja vu. Hoskins came up to bat with one out and nobody on. Then on an 0-1 pitch, he demolished a ball into the left-field seats for a solo homer.
He became the first of five different Phillies hitters to leave the yard in a solid 7-2 victory.
Game Three
The Weekend started with another massive display of offense from the Phillies once again started by Hoskins.
For the third straight game, in the bottom of the first Hoksins stepped to the plate with one out and nobody on. For the third straight game, he absolutely destroyed a ball for another solo homer. This was his longest of the series at a jaw-dropping 441 feet.
Although this was his only hit of the game it kickstarted a big six-run first inning that would lead them to an 11-5 win.
Game Four
The Phillies took the first three against the worst team in baseball and set their sights on a sweep.
Hoskins failed to make it four straight first innings with a home run, but that did not deter him.
Coming into the bottom of the fourth, the Phillies had a 2-0 lead and got some major run support. After Nick Maton hit a two-run homer and Kyle Schwarber doubled Hoskins came up to bat. After hitting three solo home runs in the first three games Hoskins finally switched. He absolutely mashed a ball into left field for a two-run homer.
Hoskins once again aided in the destruction of the Nationals as the Phillies won 13-1.
Hoskins Makes History
It is not very often a player has a series quite like this so let’s look at how rare it was for Hoskins.
First of all, the last time he had four straight games with a home run was August 23-27, 2017. In his rookie season, he had five straight games with a homer against the Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs. This season he had two different instances where he had three games in a row with a home run.
The last time he had at least one RBI in four straight games was May 22-27, 2021. That was a six-game stretch against the Boston Red Sox and Marlins.
He helped the Phillies score a total of 36 runs in the series. The last time the Phillies scored 36 or more runs in a series was July 5-8, 2021 against the Cubs when they scored 39. Hoskins homered in the first two games of that series.
The Phillies are hunting to land one of the coveted National League Wild Card spots. Hoskins has been one of the most important pieces to the Phillies since his rookie year. This is a perfect time for him to get on a hot streak as they try to distance themselves from their competition.
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