Rhys Hoskins didn't play a single game in 2023, but his impact was still felt all throughout Philadelphia in what wound up being his final season as a Phillie.
So much so, he was given the task to throw out the first pitch against the Marlins in the Wild Card Series to kick off Red October. It was an overwhelming reaction from the crowd of 44,000-plus fans in attendance.
That doesn't hold a flame to what we witnessed on a simple Monday night in June.
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The Brewers are in town for a three-game series. It's the first time in his career that Hoskins will enter Citizens Bank Park as part of the opposition.
The welcome he received is enough to make anyone emotional.
Pitch clock: off
Crowd: electric
Emotions: high
Philadelphia Phillies
"I'm kind of a crier," Hoskins said pregame. "I'll probably cry at some point today. But I think it just tells you all you need to know about, you know, the energy and emotion that I've been able to grab from this place over the last decade.
"Yeah, it's going to be memorable for sure. Hopefully they don't have to stop the game because I'm crying too much."
If it's worth anything, Rhys, we're all crying, too.
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