NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PHILLIES VS PADRES

October 23, 2022

Rhys Hoskins

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 5 Press Conference

Phillies - 4, Padres - 3

Q. Rhys, just what was the reaction in the dugout when Harper hit the home run?

RHYS HOSKINS: Pure chaos, right? I don't think anybody was surprised. This guy has a knack for coming up in the biggest moments. It's just what he's done his whole career, and we've seen it plenty of times.

Obviously I haven't gotten a chance to see it on this type of stage, but MV3. I think that's all we've really got to say. This guy's incredible.

Q. Hi, Rhys. Congratulations. So many teams you've been on that they came close and couldn't quite get there. Then you start off this year the way you guys did, just the journey to get to the World Series now and just how special this is.

RHYS HOSKINS: Yeah, it obviously didn't start the way we had hoped. We had talked about this type of moment in Spring Training, right? I think every team does.

But when we got to spring, there's a different energy. Obviously there's a ton of big splashes in free agency, that type of movement kind of signals, hey, this is our time. This is our time to win. The window is now.

Thomper just pouring belief in us as soon as he took over. That gives us all of the confidence in the world. I think that really showed up today. Down late against two extremely good and talented relievers, guys that -- I think they've given up one run between the two of them in the postseason.

Just never a doubt in the dugout. That's just the type of players we have. That's the type of belief we have in each other, and it showed up today.

Q. Rhys, what was it like in the dugout before his at-bat? J.T. gets on, and it's Bryce Harper. Was there a buzz? Was there anything said?

RHYS HOSKINS: I think there's a buzz before the inning starts. We were able to get three pretty quick outs. We knew it was going to be a dogfight with the guy on the mound. But 3, 4, 5 coming up, guys that have come up big before, J.T. setting the tone and putting pressure on them right away with a base hit. Then, yeah, it's the MVP, right? It's the showman. This guy finds ways in big situations every single time. I don't even know how many times he did it this series.

Yeah, of course there was a buzz, right? We believe. We believe that he was going to come through, that somebody was going to come through, and it just so happened that 3 came through.

Q. Rhys, I think you've seen kind of throughout these five home games kind of what that 2008 team accomplished. Jayson Werth today, from guys like Victorino to a pinch hitter like Matt Stairs. Does it mean anything to you that 2022 Phillies are one of those teams now?

RHYS HOSKINS: Of course it does. This is why we lace them up. This is why we dream when we're 4 and 5 years old and we're just starting tee ball.

We get to hear -- I've got to hear stories about those guys since 2014 when I was drafted, right? That's the standard here. For good reason. They have future Hall of Famers, postseason legends, all of it. What an example to follow.

But it's just been really, really cool to see this group in particular really just write their own story. We as a group, I think this city, just by the way that they showed up these past couple weekends, I think will be talking about this group for a long time.

Q. What does it mean for you personally to be a winner now?

RHYS HOSKINS: It's a dream. Yeah, it's a dream. As an athlete, it's all about winning. It's all about winning. Winning makes everything better, right? 0 for 4, 4 for 4, gave up a homer late, whatever, it doesn't matter. Phils scored more than the other team. Life's pretty good.

I think that sentiment is echoed throughout the clubhouse, and I think you see that's why we're playing for each other.

Q. My question to you, Rhys, is that when a hitter is going up in that situation, the way Bryce has, the way you have, you hit some home runs, what are you thinking about? I mean, are you going up there thinking, well, I'm going to hit a home run or just try to get through this at-bat? It seems like from a fan's perspective, if you're a superstar, you know you're going to go up there and hit it, but it doesn't work like that.

RHYS HOSKINS: I think there is a know, right? There has to be a confidence. You have to believe that you step in the box and you're dangerous.

I know Bryce definitely thinks that. You can just see that in the way he takes his at-bats, the way he walks around the box, the way he walks up to the plate. I don't think he's trying to hit a home run. I know me personally, I'm not trying to hit home runs.

He's so good with his eyes that I'm guessing that, if he feels like he can get the pitcher in the strike zone with the way that he's seeing the ball, the way that he's swinging the bat, that if we can get the pitcher in the strike zone, he's got a pretty good chance to do some damage, and he did an outstanding job of that.

He took the nasty split the pitch before he hit the homer and got himself another fastball, didn't miss it.

Q. Rhys, you mentioned being a winner, but just the organization that drafted you, developed you to be able to do that with the Phillies, what does that mean to you?

RHYS HOSKINS: Yeah, it's everything. This organization is the one that believed in me and gave me an opportunity to impact the city of Philadelphia in any way.

There's been a lot of people that have had a lot of hands in this going back since I got drafted, but definitely since I got here in 2017. A lot of people that aren't here that put in work, laid the groundwork for the people that are here to succeed, to dream, and to win.

Q. Just a follow-up, you mentioned big home runs for yourself. Just what was it like rounding those bases, getting back to your teammates' dugout with the sellout crowds this weekend?

RHYS HOSKINS: It's bliss, pure bliss. I think I said it a couple days ago that it's so loud that it's almost not loud. You don't really hear it.

But rounding third and seeing how excited Dusty is and getting home and seeing how excited these guys are outside the dugout and going crazy, it's why we play, right? These are the type of moments that we remember.

Obviously the home run is great, but the celebrating is so much fun.

Q. Can you take a step back ever and think about all the stars that had to line up for this to happen? What if the National League hadn't had the DH? What if there hadn't been an extra Wild Card team? What if Dave Dombrowski had stayed in Nashville? What if Bryce's spot in the lineup comes up a couple hitters later and Josh Hader is in the game? Isn't it amazing to you all the things that had to happen?

RHYS HOSKINS: That's the beautiful thing about this sport, right? It just seems to line up to give the opportunity for the best type of moment to happen.

Yeah, there's so many things that have to go right. There's so many decisions to be made along the way. There's so many people you have to believe in along the way. And I think this group's done a pretty good job of that, and that's allowed us to be ready for that type of moment when it comes.

Q. I'm sure you've seen those things happen to other teams.

RHYS HOSKINS: It's happened to us, right, like as the opposing team.

Q. It's happened to you as the opposing team. The fact it's happening to you now, your team, can you describe that feeling when the stars actually line up for your team?

RHYS HOSKINS: It's a long time coming for sure. Yeah, I've done a lot of losing here. There's been a lot of heartbreak late in the season.

I keep saying this word, but it's just the belief that we have in each other, the belief that we have in everybody within the organization that gets us ready to go play the game.

I think when you can rally around each other like that, believe in each other, pour confidence into each other, those type of moments, you kind of go at as a group, and that takes some of the pressure off of the individual. When that happens, the town comes out, and we had a lot of success with that.

Q. From where you sit now on the edge of the World Series looking back to those days you just talked about, the losing, that kind of thing, what are a couple of the biggest memories as you sit back and think, man, I had to go through that to get to this?

RHYS HOSKINS: Sure. Obviously the debuts to start it. I think we were in the middle of a 95-, 96-loss season. Great to be here, but we didn't win a whole lot, and that's never fun.

You talk about trading for J.T., talk about signing Bryce Harper, signing Zack Wheeler, these type of guys that impact the game in so many different ways.

Yeah, it's just we've come a long way. It just looks so different than it did when we got here. And so many people have a say and a hand in all the success we're having.