'What a stud': Hoskins goes 4-for-4, homers in win

PITTSBURGH -- The spotlight has shined brightly on Kyle Schwarber in his first season with the Phillies. However, the guy hitting behind him is having a good year, too.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins stepped out of Schwarber’s shadow Friday night and rallied the Phillies to a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 10 innings at PNC Park.

Hoskins hit a leadoff two-run home run in the 10th inning to snap a 2-2 tie and give the Phillies their fourth win in the last five games. That capped quite a night for Hoskins, as he reached base in all five plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with the homer and a walk.

“Rhys Hoskins. What a stud,” Phillies starting pitcher Bailey Falter said. “He did it all tonight. What a game.”

Hoskins helped the Phillies rally from a 2-0 deficit in the late innings.

After Schwarber hit an RBI single with two outs in the seventh inning to bring the Phillies within a run at 2-1, Hoskins followed by singling home the tying run.

Hoskins then hit his 20th home run of the season in the 10th off Duane Underwood Jr. (0-3) on an 0-2 pitch to give the Phillies the win. The ball traveled 410 feet over the center-field fence.

“Not sure what the pitch was or what the speed was, but it ended up in the middle of the plate,” Hoskins said. “You can’t miss those pitches. You just can’t miss them.”

Hoskins didn’t miss, and now has at least 20 home runs in each of his four full Major League seasons (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign).

That made a winner of Seranthony Domínguez (5-3), who pitched a scoreless ninth. Connor Brogdon had a 1-2-3 10th for his first save of the season and second of his career. Falter allowed two runs in six innings.

Friday night continued an extended stretch of excellent hitting for Hoskins. In 45 games since June 8, he has 11 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 23 RBIs, 26 runs scored and 24 walks.

Hoskins has lifted his batting average from .221 to .253 in that span.

Schwarber has understandably drawn plenty of attention in his first season in Philadelphia. He has a National League-leading 32 home runs, endearing himself to Phillies fans after signing a four-year, $79-million contract as a free agent during Spring Training.

However, Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson certainly appreciates what Hoskins brings to his team from the second spot in the batting order, hitting directly behind Schwarber.

“He’s huge because he’s an on-base guy and a slugger. He’s a lot of things,” Thomson said. “Those guys hitting 1-2 have created a lot of runs for us this season.”

Indeed, Schwarber and Hoskins have sparked an offense that was averaging 4.67 runs a game going into Friday. That was the fifth-best total in MLB behind the Yankees (5.26), Dodgers (5.21), Blue Jays (4.89) and Braves (4.74).

The offense has helped put the Phillies in playoff position. However, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is likely to make some deals before the MLB Trade Deadline Tuesday to try to help his team reach the postseason for the first time since 2011.

Hoskins isn’t looking to play general manager. Yet as one of the longest-tenured players in the clubhouse, he is hopeful Dombrowski will make the roster better.

“You know who’s running the show. You know what he’s done in the past. He likes to add,” Hoskins said. “I feel like we’ve done enough to be in this thing, and that adding someone makes sense. It’s above me to decide on the what. I’m sure you can go in a number of different directions.

“Anytime you’re in position when you’re adding, you’re gaining good players, you’re getting good players that other teams want -- you’re going to get better. Getting better for meaningful games down the stretch, what more could you ask for?”