Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins frustrated after being stepped on by two Dodgers
Rhys Hoskins said his foot felt fine Friday afternoon but remained unsure if the two Los Angeles Dodgers players who stomped on his right cleat a day earlier did it on purpose.
PITTSBURGH -- Rhys Hoskins said his right foot felt fine Friday afternoon but remained unsure if the two Los Angeles Dodgers players who stomped on it a day earlier did it on purpose.
The Phillies first baseman was visibly frustrated Thursday when Max Muncy and Matt Beaty stepped on the foot on consecutive plays as they ran through first base in the fourth inning. He asked first-base umpire Doug Eddings if he was doing anything wrong with the placement of his foot. Eddings said Hoskins was fine.
“I said something to both of the guys. They were very apologetic and I was like, ‘Look, that can be a pretty serious injury, I think you can understand the frustration on my end,’” Hoskins said. “It’s hard to tell. Just based on both of their reactions, it didn’t seem like there was intent. Obviously, it’s a little frustrating on my end, especially on back-to-back plays, but it didn’t seem like there was intent. Obviously, I’m lucky nothing serious happened.”
Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said he was sure there was no intent. He worked in the Dodgers organization before being hired by the Phillies and knows both Muncy and Beaty.
“It was emotional and emotions were running high. Nobody did anything on purpose,” Kapler said. “It was just hard play across the board. I think the Dodgers are a classy organization. I don’t think there was anything done with intent.”
The emotions of Thursday’s game nearly spilled over five innings later when Hector Neris hollered at the Dodgers’ dugout after completing the save. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game that Neris should look at his own dugout and Muncy mocked Neris for his past struggles against the Dodgers. Hoskins said the final game of the four-game set was emotional. It was the last time the team will meet in the regular season and the stakes will be much higher if they play again in 2019.
“Kind of gets the juices going a little bit more, makes it feel a little bit more competitive,” Hoskins said. “Obviously we’re not late in the season, but it kind of had a late-in-the-season type of atmosphere, type of feeling. It’s good for us.”
Extra bases
The Pirates scratched Saturday night’s starter Trevor Williams because of flu-like symptoms. Zach Eflin will now face righthander Joe Musgrove, who was scheduled to start Sunday. The Pirates did not announce a new starter for Sunday... Tommy Hunter will see orthopedist James Andrews on Monday for a second opinion on his forearm strain. ... David Robertson (elbow soreness) will throw a live batting practice Saturday in Clearwater. If all goes well, he will do it again on Wednesday. ... Seranthony Dominguez (UCL injury) will play catch Wednesday for the first time since being sidelined.