Rhys Hoskins is back, folks.
After doubling to left field in his first at-bat Saturday, Hoskins demolished a 431-foot homer off Brewers right-hander Junior Guerra.
Guerra's reaction was priceless (see video).
It was the hardest-hit ball of Hoskins' career, traveling 112.0 mph off the bat.
Perhaps Hoskins should fracture his jaw more often. Since returning from the DL on June 9, he's been as locked-in as he's been all season. In seven games, he's gone 9 for 25 (.360) with two doubles, three homers, nine RBI and four walks.
The Phillies need his power surge to continue. Entering Saturday's game, Hoskins was on pace for just 19 homers in 141 games after hitting 18 in 50 games as a rookie.
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"Rhys in the middle of our lineup, I don't know how I can convey that it's just incredibly important for him to be swinging the bat like he is for us to go and be successful," Gabe Kapler told reporters. "He was tremendous. Obviously, set the tone with the big home run to left field. I thought in a different scenario we might have been able to score on the line-drive base hit to left field."
