Rhys Hoskins’ first pitch might be his last act in a Phillies uniform. So he made sure to take it all in.

Now a spectator instead of a bat spiker, Hoskins has a different perspective on the Phillies. And he hopes he can still “make an impact in any way that I can.”

Rhys Hoskins was trying to cherish the moment when he threw out the first pitch before Game 1. "I was just taking in the crowd. It’s an unbelievable place and it takes it up a notch in October."Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Matt Breen

Published Oct. 4, 2023, 1:33 a.m. ET

Rhys Hoskins reached the pitcher’s mound Tuesday night, stood with a knee brace on his left leg in the center of a ballpark that sounds the way it does only in October, and looked around.

No active Phillies player has played more games at Citizens Bank Park than Hoskins, who debuted during a 96-loss season before providing the bat spike five years later that made everyone believe that last season’s Phils were more than a good story.

This — a crazed ballpark with rally towels waving for a team with legitimate World Series hopes — was supposed to be the payoff for those down years Hoskins endured before the Phillies finally started to win. He’s instead a spectator as his teammates embark on another postseason while he continues to rehabilitate his surgically repaired left knee. And that’s why Hoskins looked around.

“I wanted to make sure that the people in the dugout and everyone who shows up through all these seasons and every night, that I appreciate them in ways that they probably don’t fully understand,” Hoskins said. “It was a cool moment, for sure. I was just taking in the crowd. It’s an unbelievable place and it takes it up a notch in October. I was just trying to take in as much of that as I can.”

Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, asked Hoskins last week if he would throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the team’s first home playoff game. It would be a cool moment, Dombrowski said. Hoskins agreed.

The Phillies did not announce that Hoskins would do it, instead leaving fans to guess who would handle first-pitch duties. The fans went wild when Hoskins walked out of the dugout toward the mound.

Hoskins aims to rejoin the Phillies if they reach the World Series, which begins on Oct. 27. He packed a duffel bag after Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Miami to take with him to Clearwater, Fla., where he will continue his rehabilitation process. The Phillies still need to win eight more games before reaching the World Series. If so, it’s still not a guarantee that Hoskins will be ready.

He’s a free agent after the season and this month could be the end of his time here. Tuesday night might have been his final time wearing a Phillies uniform in South Philly. And that’s why he looked around.

“I think I would be lying if I said it has not crept into my mind. I think that’s only natural,” Hoskins said. “But as of today, as of now, this is so prevalent with what’s going on right now. I have a pretty lofty goal that I’m excited to get to the next step on. So that’s going to be my focus. I’m going to be yelling at the TV, cheering my butt off, with the goal of rejoining these guys and trying to make an impact in any way that I can.”

Nick Castellanos called the moment “perfect.” He said he wore Hoskins’ No. 17 on his cap all season and had to stop himself from crying as the crowd saluted Hoskins.

“He symbolizes Philadelphia more than any of the signees that have come here after the fact,” Castellanos said. “He’s born and raised in this organization. He was here when the team wasn’t winning and was here all the way through last year.”

Hoskins watched the game from the dugout, hanging onto the top rail and cheering as loud as the fans in the 400 level. He tore his ACL in March on a routine play at first base during a spring training game. Hoskins’ season ended before it started. Another chance to play in October was taken from him. But there was no sense of anger or bitterness on Tuesday as Hoskins danced with backup catcher Garrett Stubbs whenever a new song blared on the stadium’s speakers or celebrated with his teammates about the size of each other’s marbles.

“If something is taken away from you, you find different ways to think about it. You see it differently,” Hoskins said. “But at the end of the day, this is still a game. I’ve kind of sparked a little bit of that kid-type love in the game again. Not being able to play and just watching these guys put so much work, energy, blood, and sweat into, I’m just happy for these guys. This game is hard. I’m just happy to be around these guys.”

It’s hard to find too many moments in Citizens Bank Park’s history when the crowd was as loud as it was last October after Hoskins finished a homer with a bat spike. It was the park’s first playoff game since 2011 and the crowd was tight before Hoskins eased the tension, setting the tone for a ballpark that provided one of baseball’s best home-field advantages. Castellanos called it “The Jungle.” Rob Thomson said a rival manager called it “Four hours of hell.”

It was crazy, Hoskins said, to play here last October. But now — a spectator instead of a bat spiker — he has a different perspective. And that’s why he looked around.

“It’s still [expletive] loud,” Hoskins said.