Major League Baseball

Ben Verlander's 'Flippin' Bats' welcomes Philadelphia Phillies' Rhys Hoskins

Published Apr. 27, 2021 8:20 p.m. ET

The "Flippin' Bats" luck is real.

It has become an ongoing trend that guests who come on the podcast absolutely rake, and the latest athlete, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins, is no exception.

Say hello to MLB's home run leader.

Homering is in Hoskins' blood, as he has proven since his move up to the majors. The day after his first hit, Hoskins smashed his first two home runs, and in a two-week span, he broke several records, including becoming the fastest player to hit 11 home runs (18 games with 64 at-bats).

In the process, Hoskins tied a Philadelphia record by hitting a home run in five consecutive games. He was also the first Philly in 53 years to initiate a triple play from the outfield.

"I got called up – struggled a little bit: 0-for-12 felt like 0-for-200 to start your major league career. But I got that first hit on a Sunday — I got called up on a Thursday — and felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders. And after that, off it went."

Hoskins has been rolling ever since, but just like everyone else, he has his bad days on the diamond. His favorite thing to do when he's struggling is go to the greens, and it seems to be a popular activity, as Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout does the same.

"There are times where we – schedule permitting – can get out on the golf course, and it's not really about the golf swing vs. the baseball swing, but it gives us something to be bad at and get frustrated at that's not the game, which goes a long way mentally."

Hoskins might be taking a few more trips to the course this season, as the NL East, according to Ben Verlander, is the best division in baseball. Philadelphia currently sits in second place, at 11-11, and is one of two teams in the division with a record above .500.

"This is what we dream about as athletes, getting to play the best, night in and night out," Hoskins said. "It's going to be a dog fight every single night, which is going to be fun. We want to win as much as we can throughout the season, but at the end of the year, if we can look back and know that we beat some of the best teams and got through one of the best divisions in baseball, we should be feeling pretty confident come crunch time in September and October."

To hear more, including about Hoskins' baseball adventures abroad, check out the entire episode below.

For more from "Flippin' Bats," subscribe on YouTube and follow along on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook !

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @Verly32.