Hoskins' memorable encounter with young 'No. 1 fan' a long time in making

PHILADELPHIA -- Rhys Hoskins had an emotional homecoming to Citizens Bank Park Monday night, but he wasn’t the most emotional person in the ballpark.

That was Isabelle Windhaus, a 9-year-old who calls herself Hoskins’ No. 1 fan.

Prior to the game, the Brewers slugger -- who spent six seasons with the Phillies before signing with Milwaukee this winter -- gave Isabelle a memory she’ll cherish forever, bringing her to tears in the process.

Shortly before Hoskins was set to play his first-ever game against his former team, he stopped to sign an autograph for Isabelle, who was sporting a red Phillies hat and a navy blue Brewers jersey while holding a sign that read: “I ❤️Rhys” above the words “#1 Fan.”

“I’m your No. 1 fan, Rhys!” she exclaimed, fighting to hold back tears. “Thank you so much!”

“Can I get a high five?” Hoskins asked, putting his hand up to the netting. “Have fun tonight, all right?”

That was the start of an emotional night for Hoskins, who received a standing ovation from the Philly crowd as he stepped to the plate in the second inning. As overwhelmed as he was by the night’s events, the meeting with Isabelle resonated with the 31-year-old.

“Oh my gosh, man,” Hoskins said Tuesday. “I knew some sort of emotion was about to come out in the not too distant future, so I was like, ‘Please don’t cry; this is supposed to be fun!’ It was a great interaction all around.”

As it turns out, it wasn’t the first interaction the two had shared.

Late Monday night, Hoskins’ wife, Jayme, showed him the video clip of the meeting, which had gone viral during the game. They soon realized that Isabelle and her family had reached out to him via social media in the past, sending him videos of her hitting in her backyard and another from 2019 showing a 4-year-old Isabelle in tears because her favorite player wasn’t in the lineup.

“I had been hit in the hand the night before and wasn't playing,” Hoskins said. “She was upset because I wasn't in the lineup, and I had a chance to interact with her on the internet, just saying, ‘Hey, sorry; hopefully you'll come to another game and I’ll get to see you then.’”

That meeting, which Isabelle’s father, Ed, called “a full circle moment for her,” finally took place on Monday.

“Of course she handed me the hat,” Hoskins said with a smile. “I was thinking, ‘Let me sign the jersey.’”

Hoskins’ encounter with his young fan brought him back about two decades to Pacific Bell Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco, where he had his own memorable meeting with his favorite player: Giants first baseman J.T. Snow.

“That was my guy with the Giants,” Hoskins said. “I loved [Barry] Bonds and I loved those teams, but J.T. was my guy. It must have been around 2002, so I was like eight or nine at the time. It was a great time to be at that ballpark, so I went early for BP and there he was. I got to say hi and he signed a ball for me. It’s cool that here I am on the other side for the same type of moment.”