NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PHILLIES VS PADRES

October 21, 2022

Rhys Hoskins

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. Musgrove has had some success against you guys. Can you talk about that challenge and maybe can you make adjustments coming in tonight to maybe improve your chances of success?

RHYS HOSKINS: Yeah. Musgrove, heck of a competitor. I got to work out with him three or four off-seasons ago, so I kind of know how the guy ticks.

Just a true competitor, so we know he's going to bring it tonight.

The stuff speaks for itself. He was within the Cy Young conversation, I know, for the bulk of the first half, ended super well. We all saw what he did against the Mets and against the Dodgers. So we know he can take down a lineup.

We had some good success against him in San Diego. I've said this multiple times throughout this playoff run, but we kept him in the strike zone then. I don't know how many walks there were, but multiple walks, not too many strikeouts. And that's where it guy lives, he gets a lot of chase, does a lot of strike the ball.

Yeah, we'll have to make adjustments. We'll obviously use the information that we have and can gather from the last couple starts against two pretty good offenses. But getting this guy in the strike zone with the couple elite breaking balls that he has is going to be key tonight.

Q. After Game 1, Zack Wheeler said the postseason felt like a blur to him. I was wondering how it felt to you, and have you sort of tried to take a moment and make sure you're taking it all in and not miss anything?

RHYS HOSKINS: Definitely a blur. I'll agree with Wheels there, especially as a first timer being in the postseason. It all happens fast. As soon as the game's over, it's on to the next. There's travel back and forth. There's obviously tons of information, a lot of stuff goes on off the field before the games and post-games.

But that's what makes it special, I think. It's definitely different than the 162 in the regular season.

In terms of trying to take it all in, of course. This is why we play. This is what we dream of as competitors and as athletes.

Sometimes during the game, not really. Obviously there's a lot of focus on whatever's going on on the field. But postgame, pregame, just kind of looking up into the stands, obviously here is a little more special than on the road, just getting to see the sea of red.

But I think we also have the blinders on, right? And that's something that I think helps us keep focused and always trying to stay ready for the next thing that's coming.

Q. I wanted to ask you about J.T. You played against him when he was with the Marlins. What stood out to you about him, what impressed you about him as an opponent, and what have you learned as a teammate about what makes him so good?

RHYS HOSKINS: So '17 and '18 played against him when he was a Marlin. First and foremost is just the sheer athleticism. This guy does things on the baseball field that not a lot of players can do, let alone a lot of catchers. So that's first and foremost.

As I've gotten to know him and be around him as a teammate, just the way that he goes about preparing. He's an offensive player, but also has a lot of responsibility with the pitchers and game planning for the other team.

It starts for him at 1:00, 1:30 in the afternoon, just game planning with these guys, having conversations, pouring belief into whatever is their game plan tonight. That type of thing, I've just noticed, is what makes him a great teammate also.

You couple the athleticism and the outstanding ballplayer he is as a catcher, and then getting to know the teammate behind that has been something special for a lot of us, but specifically me.

Q. Rhys, I believe it's 16 of 18 on the road. First of all, how good does it feel to be back home for three? And what were the pros and cons of being on the road during this run? And also maybe any extra bonding with the team, getting closer?

RHYS HOSKINS: Yeah, sure. 20 straight days on the road and just home for what felt like a blink and right back on the road. Yeah, we're around each other for 14 hours a day -- 12, 14 hours a day for seven months straight. And then you couple that and kind of take a lot of the families out when we go on the road, we have to spend time with each other.

But that's a good thing. That's where that chemistry that's talked about is built. That's where that trust is built. When you can trust the guy next to you on the field or behind you in a lineup, it makes the downs last a little shorter and the highs last a little longer. But there's nothing like playing at home.

Especially we got a little taste of it last weekend. We've been talking about it ever since. We feel like we have an advantage here because of the way that the crowd and the energy was last weekend. We're pretty confident coming into this weekend.

Q. Similar question about Realmuto but with Schwarber. He's been on a lot of playoff teams now. Is that a coincidence? Does he bring something to the table that's unique?

RHYS HOSKINS: Yeah, I don't think that's an accident. When he was in college also; as soon as he got into the Big Leagues with the Cubs making runs and winning, Red Sox last year. So he's done it in a lot of different places, and when that usually happens, that tends to not be an accident.

Some guys just have that knack. They know what it takes to win. They know how to bring guys together, which I think has probably been some of the most important stuff he's done in a Phillies uniform.

Obviously the 46 home runs and hitting leadoff and all of the statistics speak for themselves, but just the way that he brings a multitude of different type of people together to chase one common goal is something that I think should be talked about more and probably will be talked about a lot when we talk about this group.

Q. Rhys, you touched on the home environment. I obviously wasn't here, but I heard about the decibel levels and how loud it was for the fans and for the reporters. What was it like for you as a player, and how does this compare to other environments you've played in?

RHYS HOSKINS: First of all, I'm excited for you. I hope you brought some ear plugs. It will be loud. It was loud.

The thing that I noticed the most was literally immediately stepping out into the dugout before introductions even started, and then just the constant -- how constant people were cheering or yelling or clapping, standing up. It didn't seem like there was a point during the game where everybody was sitting down. Just portions of some of the stadium always standing up, cheering, clapping.

When you have that constant noise, that constant cheer behind you, that constant energy, obviously it makes it a lot easier to play for us. But it makes the opposing team, their minds are a little more clouded, I think, having some experience with that playing on the road in some of these atmospheres we've played in.

So should be a lot of fun. I'm excited to see what the crowd, the fans have in store for us tonight. I'm sure it's going to be more than it was last weekend given the circumstance.

Q. You talked a little bit about how the energy of the postseason is different than the regular season and this is your first postseason run. I'm curious about the game play on the field. Have you noticed any differences in how the games are managed, the at-bats that you're taking, whether the way bullpens are being used, and how that has struck you as someone who is going through this for the first time.

RHYS HOSKINS: Yeah, definitely different, right? Some of the schedule allows managers to do different things with some staffs and bullpen pieces. You kind of seem to see the same three to four to five guys in the game.

Most of these games are close, and when that's the case, you use your guys because you want to continue to have a chance.

Base runners are way more coveted in these games, and as soon as you get a guy on, offensively, like, okay, we're we go, this is going to be one of the few chances we have, or on the other side, defensively, it's like, okay, we've got a guy on here. We need to make sure that we're playing clean baseball here.

You can feel the intensity just click up a little bit, I think mostly from the crowd. But that's the type of thing that I think is the biggest difference between now and the regular season is just hit by a pitch, a walk, getting a guy on, you can feel just the energy boost and the morale boost in the dugout because we've got a chance to score and those come few and far between.

Q. You talk about what's different about playing in the postseason but then also having to put those blinders on, focus on the moment in the game. Is that something you've had to learn to do over the course of this experience the first time in the postseason? Is it something that guys like Schwarber who have been there before can tell you about, or how do you learn to balance those things?

RHYS HOSKINS: I think both. It would be smart for us to lean on the guys with experience, guys who have been here before, guys who have success because we have a lot of them.

So leaning on those guys is huge. There's a fine line between the blinders and trying to keep it as similar to the regular season as possible, trying not to change too much. That's something that Schwarbs has really talked about a lot as well.

But I also think, just being within the group we have, makes it a little easier to do that. Just getting lost within the processes before the game trying to be as prepared as we can, and then letting the talent go speak for itself like we know we have.

Q. For those that may not know Ranger Suarez very well, what should we expect to see from him tonight, and what's he like behind closed doors?

RHYS HOSKINS: Well, Ranger's going to work fast. He's going to get a lot of soft contact because that's what he does. He's probably going to make three or four plays that will maybe leave you scratching your head.

Just Mr. Cool out there, right? Cool, calm, and collected. Doesn't seem like the moment gets to him very much. That's pretty much exactly who he is behind closed doors. We call him Mr. Suave, just as smooth as he can get. Always having a good time, always laughing. As soon as he gets on the mound, he turns that intensity up, but never seems like he's going too fast, which is what I think makes him really special.