Major League Baseball

How the Phillies got a beloved teammate his shine despite a torn ACL

Updated Oct. 4, 2023 11:31 p.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — Initially, Rhys Hoskins didn't want to throw out the first pitch.

When the Phillies first approached him with the idea about a week before the postseason began, Hoskins, a fan favorite who missed the entire 2023 season after suffering a torn ACL in spring training, was hesitant.

Hoskins knew on Wednesday morning he'd be headed down to the team's complex in Florida to continue his long path back from injury, a path he hopes will end in a timely World Series return. But until Hoskins felt healthy enough to play, he wanted none of the limelight.

"I didn't want it to be about me," he told FOX Sports in the home clubhouse after the Phillies' wild-card Game 1 win over the Miami Marlins. "It's about these guys in here."

But after broaching the subject with manager Rob Thomson and a handful of his teammates, Hoskins changed his mind. And on Tuesday evening, in front of the crowd he sent into joyous rapture an autumn ago, Hoskins strolled back onto the diamond beneath a tidal wave of thunderous applause.

As the sold-out crowd roared his arrival, Hoskins removed his cap and waved it back as a thank you. Last October his hair had been trimmed short on the sides and back. His cheeks were clean-shaven. But this has been a long year for Hoskins. And so, an understandably more bedraggled version emerged for the first pitch, with a mustache perched on his upper lip, a five o'clock shadow yawned across his cheeks and a bird's nest of curls lay tucked under his red cap.

But Hoskins' eyes told the real story: wide-eyed, thankful, with tears welling up behind blue-gray irises. With the 46,000 plus going crazy, the club's longest-tenured position player, a man of forced patience who endured the Phillies' down years, gestured lovingly towards the bubbled "P" stitched on the left side of his team-issued pullover.

It was difficult to tell whether he was pointing at the Phillies logo or his heart.

"I was f---ing nervous out there," Hoskins admitted to FOX Sports after the game. "I was a fish out of water out there, standing in the middle of it all..."

Nervous or not, Hoskins delivered a perfect strike to teammate Kyle Schwarber. The two embraced and posed for a brief photo before sauntering back to the dugout. And then the game began. The Phillies won. Zack Wheeler was superb, Schwarber was fine, Bryce Harper struggled, but it didn't matter. The favored home team did enough to win. Hoskins watched it all from the dugout.

[Mintz: Why the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber is among MLB's best teammates: 'We all love him']

But for tomorrow's Game 2, he'll have a very different vantage point.

"It's like a group of like, eight or 10 of us," Hoskins explained, describing the club's "stay ready" camp in Clearwater. "So I'm guessing we're all gonna watch together. I don't know in what capacity. I'm sure there'll be a lot of good food, a lot of yelling at the umpires on TV."

For a guy who played such a key role in last October's magical run, it's sure to be an odd experience, watching the bedlam at The Bank on a flat screen in Florida. But that's all part of Hoskins' plan to try and return this season, later this month, if the Phillies reach the World Series.

Philadelphia Phillies overpower Miami Marlins behind a dominant Zack Wheeler

Whether Hoskins can get back into form by that point remains to be seen. There's a lot of rust to shake off. To warrant a World Series roster spot, after not facing game pitching in a year, Hoskins must prove that he's fully recovered. The odds are not in his favor and the prevailing sentiment in Philadelphia is that Hoskins is unlikely to appear in a game this postseason.

But the goal is worthwhile, regardless. The action is the juice. Hoskins explained that dreaming of a potential October return, whether it comes to fruition or not, has given him something to work towards all season. It is the light at the end of a dark tunnel, the donut dangling off the end of the treadmill, a storybook reward for a player who has given his organization his all.

For Hoskins, a beloved Philly sports figure in the final month of his contract before free agency, the timing of his injury was particularly cruel. After coming up short against the Astros in last year's fall classic, 2023 could have been Hoskins' heroic last go in Philadelphia, finishing the job before riding off into the sunset.

A reunion this winter, based on Philadelphia's current roster construction and Bryce Harper's progress at first base, seems less likely than ever. Hoskins' dependable bat and strong character seem a good fit for a young club on the upswing. Crazier things have happened, but the odds are Hoskins is playing in another uniform come April 2024.

That means Tuesday night's first pitch may also serve as Hoskins' Philly farewell. He debuted in 2017 when the team was not only bad, but lifeless, mired in a rebuild and going nowhere. Almost immediately he electrified the fan base, smashing 17 home runs in his first 36 MLB games. Since then, he has been a staple, a constant presence and a welcome smile.

If this really was a bittersweet goodbye, it couldn't have gone any better.

"It'll be weird not having him here tomorrow," Schwarber admitted. "I'm going to FaceTime him right after the game, though."

Jake Mintz, the louder half of @CespedesBBQ is a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He played college baseball, poorly at first, then very well, very briefly. Jake lives in New York City where he coaches Little League and rides his bike, sometimes at the same time. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.